Cambodia Gambling Halls

[ English ]

There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued 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 ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many borders.

The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous amenities on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.