Cambodia Casinos
There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is banned. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel building that contains many amenities on top of the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 tables.