[ English ]

There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of many borders.

The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (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 sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights many comforts accompanying the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 table games.