Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming MAY 2015 28 with comparable revenue. The 71-table main gaming hall at Grand Diamond Casino, opened in 2002, rakes in “about a million baht on a good day,” according to Manat Bumrerjit, who calls himself the “representative” of the owner, a Thai former politician. “Casinos don’t live with VIP, they live with the main hall.” Grand Diamond is linked via skybridge—adorned with a video board flashing promotional messages at incoming travelers—to sister property Poipet Resort, with the longest and most attractive frontage on the Cambodia immigration leg of the casino strip. The two properties have combined estimated annual gross gaming revenue of $100 million from 235 tables, including the only craps table in Poipet, and 1,000 machines on revenue share arrangements with two different companies. SAFETY PLUS SHOWBIZ Mr Bumrerjit, who’s been in Poipet since Grand Diamond opened, says safety is a top priority. “People come here to be confident, feel safe,” he says, an oblique reference to Bangkok’s illegal dens. Poipet casinos also try to set themselves apart by bringing in recognized Cover Story Turbulent Crossing Bavet, Poipet’s opposite number on the Vietnamese border, continues to struggle. Even though Vietnam is Cambodia’s biggest source of visitors and Bavet is less than two hours from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s commercial capital with nine million of its richest citizens, the town’s dozen or so casinos get only a fraction of Poipet’s business, with annual gross gaming revenue of perhaps $50 million. For players in Bavet, trying their luck can extend to cashing in at the cage. Popular Bavet casinos, such as Crown, formerly King’s Crown, with 35 tables and 100 machines, book daily revenue of about $25,000 from 400 visitors. Seven Bavet casinos are around Crown’s size. The rest have less than a dozen tables. Betting is in US dollars at low stakes. Bavet is the largest of eight Cambodian border areas catering to Vietnamese players, who can’t play at casinos back home unless they hold foreign passports. But streets in Bavet feel desolate, and it’s difficult to tell whether many casinos are open or closed. Ownership changes and bankruptcies are frequent. Stories of casinos unable Bavet is the largest of eight Cambodian border areas catering to Vietnamese players, who can’t play at casinos back home unless they hold foreign passports. But streets in Bavet feel desolate, and it’s difficult to tell whether many casinos are open or closed. Grand Diamond Casino’s Manat Bumrerjit says safety is a top priority. “People come here to be confident, feel safe,” he says, an oblique reference to Bangkok’s illegal dens. >>