[ English ]

There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not legal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very 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 few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of most border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, features 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga casino 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 a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.