Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall betting is banned. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently required to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.