Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not legal. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 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. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and seventy gaming tables 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 popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel complex that features a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.