There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is prohibited. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 table games.
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