[ English ]

There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 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 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features a number of amenities on top of the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight gaming tables.