There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, in which casino wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 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 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features numerous comforts aside from the casino, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 tables.
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