Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel complex that contains many comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.