Cambodia Betting Houses
There is certainly an interesting background to the Cambodia bettings houses that lie just across the national boundaries from nearby Thailand, where gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling establishments are positioned in the relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This area of Cambodia gambling establishments is in the prime spot, a three to four drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centres in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a booming business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The incredible earnings gained from the gambling establishments ranges from seven dollars.5 million to over twelve point five million, and there are few limitations or registration prerequisites for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; nevertheless, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to five p.m., and though visas are purportedly needed to cross, there are techniques around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in ‘94, but were compelled to close in ninety-eight, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a fixed boat gambling establishment, functions 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga betting house is open round the clock with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in ‘99 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and a hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Betting house and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Gambling establishment, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety-six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai-gow. Also, there is the Gambling den Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also inside a hotel, is the Princess Gambling den with 166 slots and ninety-seven games. The Star Vegas Gambling establishment is part of an international resort and hotel complex that functions numerous amenities also to the gambling establishment, which has 10,000 sqft of one hundred thirty slots and eighty-eight table games.
Across the Cambodian border at Asmech/Surin is one gambling den, the Gambling den O Samet, with 100 slot machines and 50 tables of baccarat banque. Moreover, the Koh Kong Gambling den, in the province of Trat, is open everyday from nine a.m. to ten p.m., with a hundred slots and 4 table games. A smaller gambling den, Le Macau Betting house and Hotel, opened recently at Bavet on the Vietnamese border.