Cambodia Gambling Halls
There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is not legal. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are vague. 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 necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, 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. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel compound that highlights many comforts on top of the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.