There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, contains 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features numerous conveniences on top of the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.
Comments