02.25
Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are supposedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that contains many luxuries accompanying the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 tables.