[ English ]

There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.

The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, 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, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.