[ English ]

There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from bordering Thailand, where gambling den wagering is illegal. 8 casinos are located in the relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in the prime location, a three to four drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia bettings houses do a booming business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The extraordinary income obtained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.five million to over twelve point five million, and there are few restrictions or registration prerequisites for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; nonetheless, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly required to cross, you can find techniques around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia bettings houses opened in Phnom Penh in ‘94, but were pressured to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, functions one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga betting house is open round the clock with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of pontoon, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Double-Hand and Tai-Sai.

The initial betting house in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. You will discover 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and a hundred and four slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Betting house and Resort features 300 slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty-six slot machine games and ninety-six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most well-known game), Fan Tan, and Pai gow. Additionally, there will be the Gambling establishment Tropicana, with a hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in the hotel, could be the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty-six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Betting house is part of an international resort and hotel complex that attributes a number of amenities also to the gambling den, which has ten thousand square feet of a hundred thirty slot machine games and 88 table games.

Across the Cambodian border at Asmech/Surin is one betting house, the Gambling establishment O Samet, with 100 slots and fifty tables of punto banco. Also, the Koh Kong Gambling den, in the province of Trat, is open everyday from nine a.m. to ten p.m., with a hundred slot machines and four table games. A smaller gambling establishment, Le Macau Casino and Hotel, opened recently at Bavet on the Vietnamese border.