[ English ]

There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is real of many borders.

The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four 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 hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 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 highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most popular 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 common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains a number of comforts on top of the gambling hall, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 tables.