[ English ]

There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent destination, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of many border crossings.

The first Cambodia casinos opened 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 barge gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of luxuries on top of the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 tables.