Regis Melton's blog : Rollin' the Dice No More: Cambodia's Casino Crunch
Cambodia's Casino Golden Age Hits a Snag as Neighbors Roll the Dice
Man, you wouldn't believe it, but casinos in Cambodia have been like a gold mine since the country dusted itself off from years of turmoil back in the '90s. This year, the government's betting on raking in even more dough—about $25 million, which is pretty sweet for a place that ain't exactly rolling in cash.
Here's the kicker: the locals can't even play. It's all on the shoulders of tourists losing their hard-earned cash. The casinos are living it up, thanks to the tight rules in Vietnam and the no-go from the conservative monks in Thailand and Myanmar.
The hot spots like Koh Kong and Poipet near Thailand, and Bavet by Vietnam, are hustling big time. And don't get me started on Naga Casino in the capital, Phnom Penh—it's the big cheese with exclusive rights and all visit this weblink.
But, hold up, things are shaking up in the neighborhood. Vietnam's got a few casinos for outsiders, but they're thinking of letting their own folks play to keep the cash at home. Myanmar's also eyeing up the casino game, hoping to snag tourists from Thailand and China cnn. So yeah, Cambodia's cushy casino monopoly? It's on thin ice.
The Cambodian government's gotta rethink their game plan. Casino bosses are on the prowl for investors, but the Cambodian peeps are still not invited to the party.
Ros Phirun, the gov's casino mouthpiece, is like, ""We're not changing the rules... yet."" But they're peeping at casino laws from the U.S. to China, hoping to upgrade and maybe make it cool for Cambodians to gamble without it getting ugly.
Cambodians are all about betting, even on when it'll rain! But the dark side of gambling—like the nasty fights over debts—is making headlines and it ain't pretty. That's why the government pulled the plug on slot machines back in '09. And if they open up the gambling floodgates, who's gonna handle the fallout?
Some folks say, ""Do it like Singapore—charge locals a hefty fee to play."" But c'mon, in a country where most folks make peanuts, that's just crazy talk bbc.
Meanwhile, Naga Casino's going beast mode with a huge expansion called “Naga2,” and they're even flying in big spenders from Macau and China. But there's drama—this Buddhist school's been there since forever, and now they're all worried they'll get bulldozed for the casino. The government's like, ""Nah, that's not happening,"" but the monks aren't having it.
And it's not all glitz and glam in casino land—some places are ghost towns, while others are just hanging on. Down in Sihanoukville, Queenco Casino's got big dreams, but even they're feeling the heat with some serious losses. They're blaming it on the world being in a funk, but let's be real—it's more than that.
Queenco's sweating bullets now, thinking they might have to sell if they can't find anyone to throw cash their way. If they go belly up, that's like the last call for Cambodia's casino winning streak cbc. But let's face it, it was never about luck to begin with. Without their regional edge, it's game over.
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