05.16
Cambodia Casinos
There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gambling is banned. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that features a number of comforts aside from the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.