07.05
Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy 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 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that features a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 tables.