10.07
Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where casino betting is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel building that features numerous luxuries on top of the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight tables.