Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel building that features numerous comforts on top of the gambling hall, which has ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.