[ English ]

There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is banned. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.

The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that highlights many amenities on top of the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight gaming tables.