11.23
Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is prohibited. Eight casinos are based in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling hall, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also 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 is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains many conveniences on top of the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.