Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is real of many borders.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that features numerous amenities aside from the casino, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 tables.