Archive for April 15th, 2017

Cambodia Gambling Dens

There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, features 150 slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that contains many amenities on top of the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 tables.