[ English ]

There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that features a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.