Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino betting is not allowed. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming 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 one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that contains a number of amenities accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.