Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not permitted. Eight casinos are based in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial 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 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that highlights a number of conveniences in addition to the casino, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.
