There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that highlights many amenities on top of the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.
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