[ English ]

There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not legal. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are supposedly needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table 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 quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel complex that highlights a number of comforts on top of the casino, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.