There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel building that highlights many conveniences aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.
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