04.14
Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that contains a number of comforts aside from the casino, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.
