[ English ]

There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features a number of amenities on top of the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.