There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling hall, features 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel complex that contains many conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.
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