
The Poipet Strip: nine tiny gambling enterprises in a gambling no-man’s-land between the Cambodian and Thai passport control counters. (Image: scbsme.com)
While last month’s army coup in Thailand, which toppled the democratically elected government, may be a cause for concern to the community that is international it’s reportedly been a huge boon to the little Cambodian gambling city of Poipet, just across the border. Poipet has for ages been a destination that is popular the people of Thailand, where gambling on anything apart from domestic horseracing and the national lottery is illegal, despite a general enthusiasm among the population.
Nevertheless, the newest junta that is military authoritarian crackdown on illegal gambling enterprises and gambling dens in Thailand is directing the former customers of the regrettable establishments eagerly towards the dining table games of Poipet.
Cambodia itself has a (loosely enforced) no-gambling policy but, fortunately for all involved, Poipet’s casino strip, containing nine smallish casinos, is cunningly situated in a type of gambling no-man’s-land between your Cambodian and Thai passport control counters.
Military Shut Down of Illegal Gambling
The influx stays something of a shock to the Poipet operators, however, because into the days following the coup they stated that the quantity of people to the town had dropped significantly. At the start of June, managing di Continue reading “Thailand Military Coup Provokes Mini Casino Boom in Cambodia”