Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent destination, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 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 one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (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 common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that highlights a number of conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.