Cambodia Gambling Dens

[ English ]

There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight casinos are based in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.

The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling den, features 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel building that features a number of comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.