[ English ]

There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino gambling is not legal. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are supposedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is real of most borders.

The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, highlights 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel complex that features a number of comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 tables.