Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den betting is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are apparently needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, contains 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four 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, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant 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 normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens 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 vacation and hotel complex that contains many luxuries aside from the casino, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.