There is an interesting background to Cambodia casinos which are located just across the border from neighboring Thailand where casino gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are located in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a three to four minute drive from Bangkok and Macau, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia’s casinos do a brisk business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, with very few Westerners. The phenomenal revenue earned from casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are few restrictions or registration requirements to owning a casino. Ownership is presumed to be majority Thai; however, the sources of investment are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and while visas are supposedly required to cross, there are ways around it, as there are with most border crossings.
Cambodia’s first casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship casino, has 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours a day with 42 mini-baccarat tables, four blackjack tables, 10 roulette tables, two Caribbean Stud Poker, and one Pai-Gow and one Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and was soon followed by the Golden Crown. There are 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort has 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 for baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Tropicana Casino, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a Casino Stud Poker table. Another of Poipet’s eight casinos, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international hotel and resort complex that features a number of amenities in addition to the casino, which is 10,000 square feet with 130 slot machines and 88 table games.
Across the Cambodian border in Asmech/Surin is a casino, Casino O Samet, with 100 slot machines and 50 baccarat tables. In addition, the Koh Kong Casino, in Trat province, is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with 100 slot machines and four table games. A smaller casino, Le Macau Casino and Hotel, recently opened in Bavet, on the Vietnamese border.