[ English ]

There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gambling is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many borders.

The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling hall, contains 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that highlights a number of conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which has ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.