[ English ]

There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of most borders.

The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that highlights a number of amenities accompanying the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.