02.13
Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features many conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.