05.08
Cambodia Gambling Dens
There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is banned. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.