Cambodia Casinos
There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight casinos are based in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, contains 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that features many conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 table games.