There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall betting is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains many amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.
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