[ English ]

There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are supposedly needed to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of many borders.

The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, 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 soon opened. There are 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that features numerous comforts aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.