Archive for February, 2016

Cambodia Casinos

[ English ]

There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is illegal. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming 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 few Westerners. The astonishing 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 casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau casino, features 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel compound that features many amenities accompanying the gambling hall, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.

 

New Mexico Bingo

[ English ]

New Mexico has a complex gambling past. When the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was signed by Congress in 1989, it looked like New Mexico might be one of the states to cash in on the Indian casino bandwagon. Politics assured that would not be the case.

The New Mexico governor Bruce King assembled a task force in 1990 to draft a compact with New Mexico Indian tribes. When the working group arrived at an accord with 2 important local tribes a year later, Governor King declined to sign the bargain. He would hold up a deal until 1994.

When a new governor took over in Nineteen Ninety Five, it seemed that Indian wagering in New Mexico was a certainty. But when Governor Gary Johnson passed the accord with the Indian bands, anti-wagering forces were able to tie the accord up in courts. A New Mexico court found that the Governor had overstepped his bounds in signing a deal, therefore costing the government of New Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars in licensing fees over the next several years.

It took the Compact Negotiation Act, passed by the New Mexico house, to get the ball rolling on a full compact amongst the Government of New Mexico and its American Indian tribes. 10 years had been lost for gambling in New Mexico, including American Indian casino Bingo.

The not for profit Bingo industry has gotten bigger from Nineteen Ninety-Nine. That year, New Mexico charity game operators acquired only $3,048. That climbed to $725,150 in 2000, and surpassed one million dollars in 2001. Nonprofit Bingo revenues have grown steadily since then. 2005 witnessed the greatest year, with $1,233,289 grossed by the operators.

Bingo is clearly favored in New Mexico. All types of owners try for a bit of the pie. Hopefully, the politicos are through batting over gaming as a hot button issue like they did back in the 1990’s. That is most likely wishful thinking.