[ English ]

There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which casino gaming is banned. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.

The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, features 150 slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six 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 slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel compound that contains many luxuries aside from the casino, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.