There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features many luxuries in addition to the casino, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.
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