Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gambling is banned. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 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, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that contains numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight gaming tables.