Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts aside from the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.