[ English ]

There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.

The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (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 common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel complex that highlights a number of amenities accompanying the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.