[ English ]

There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge gambling den, features 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.