[ English ]

There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent destination, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.

The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of vingt-et-un, 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, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred 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 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains many conveniences aside from the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 tables.