02.13
Cambodia Casinos
There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that highlights a number of comforts aside from the casino, which provides ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.