[ English ]

There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is prohibited. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered 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 moored ship casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which provides ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.