Cambodia Casinos
There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one 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 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel compound that contains numerous comforts on top of the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight tables.