There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight gaming tables.
