Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino wagering is not permitted. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features many luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 table games.