Archive for June, 2007

Cambodia Gambling Halls

June 5th, 2007
[ English ]

There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel compound that highlights a number of luxuries on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.