07.02
Cambodia Casinos
There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is prohibited. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel compound that highlights many comforts on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.