[ English ]

There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that highlights numerous conveniences aside from the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.