[ English ]

There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gambling is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting 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 few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are apparently required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino 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 one hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel compound that highlights many amenities in addition to the casino, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.