[ English ]

There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den betting is not legal. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.

The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel building that highlights many amenities aside from the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.