04.11
Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and though visas are apparently required to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, highlights 150 slots and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that contains numerous amenities aside from the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.