When it comes to luxury gaming in Asia, you are never short of options despite strict local laws that reduce the number of casinos allowed to open in many of South East Asia’s countries.
Let’s look at some of the top gaming establishments in countries that currently house land-based casinos within the South East Asian continent.
Naga World Cambodia
One of the most prestigious and one of the largest casinos in South East Asia is in a country with one of the sub-continents smallest economies.
Naga World is a popular and high-end casino in Phnom Penh Cambodia. It is also one of the casinos in the city and the region, or at least the only fully licensed and 100% legal by ASEAN and Cambodian law. It is both a casino and hotel with luxury clubs, restaurants, and of course plenty of gambling on multiple floors.
There are 100s of tables here with most of them on the first floor while there are perhaps more than 500 video slot machines!
Most of the clientele are affluent Cambodians, Thais who cannot in Thailand because it is illegal to operate a casino in the country, and there is plenty of Chinese considering Cambodia is a hot spot for foreign investment from the world’s largest populous.
One of the great things about making your way to Phnom Penh for a holiday + casino getaway is the local prices of, well, just about everything. This is one of the most affordable cities in the world and it is lined with coffee shops, restaurants, and entertainment, while it also has one heck of a lively nightlife!
Marina Bay Sands Casino
Far more expensive compared to a visit to Cambodia, Singapore is a hotspot for wealthy tourists. If you have tons of cash, and you don’t mind paying an arm and a leg for even a coffee, then Marina Bay Sands is the destination for you.
This is an establishment built by the rich for the rich! In fact, it comes from the famous Las Vegas Sands brand hence the ‘Sands’ add on to the name!
From top to bottom, there are multiple floors of slots and tables games while there is an impressive main casino floor with yet more slots and more table games. Poker, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps, and a host of other popular casino games with low to high roller table limits. Baccarat and Blackjack are arguably the most popular casino games in Singapore.
In fact, there are more than 700 tables games and over 2,400 slot machines all spread across 160,000 square foot of casino floor which spans all 4 floors.
As a tourist you can enter the casino for free, however, if you are from Singapore, then you have to $100 per day which is actually a small price to pay considering local prices.
Now the casino is just one side of the entire Marina Bay Sands Experience. Inside this 3-tower complex, there is a luxury hotel, more than 50 restaurants, shopping, entertainment, gardens, sports activities, and more.
The swimming pool and entertainment area at the top, which connects all 3 buildings are a sight to behold, and if you do visit this casino, make sure you wander the entire building while making a point of getting up to that top floor.
In fact, it is hard to see why you would want to leave Marina Bay Sands when you visit because it has everything you need all in one place!
Resorts World Genting
Well, this is the final one on our list as to be honest there are only 4 main casinos in South Easy Asia worthy of the luxury label. Genting Resorts World is a Malaysian-based casino and hotel.
It is one of two main casinos in the country and is situated northeast of the capital – Kuala Lumpur. It is a small trek to get to the resort from either of KL’s airports, as you are looking at over an hour’s drive.
One of the highlights of this casino is that it sits high up in a hilly region and if you find the right spot outside, you get an amazing 360-degree view of the surrounding area. However, if we get down to brass tacks as far as the casino is concerned this is just as impressive as the view.
You will need to make your way around a casino floor that boasts over 200,000 square feet putting Malaysia’s Genting casino among some of the largest casinos in the world!
This casino also has one of the largest slot machine collections in Asia with apparently more than 3,000 of them scatters around the casino. Video slots, one-armed bandits, and classic slot machines are on every floor in neat rows leaving you with tons of titles to choose from.
With so much floor space, as you can imagine, this establishment caters for all types of casino players. Whether you are an avid video slots player, a blackjack guru, or a baccarat huckster, there is something for everyone.
Although baccarat is a traditional game in Asia, you will also find that Caribbean Stud poker is popular at Genting Resorts, so if you happen to enjoy a flutter on poker, and you can’t find a cash poker game or tournament poker open at the casino, then you can always head over to the Stud Poker table in search of that elusive royal flush!
Other Casinos in South East Asia
You can find tons of other casinos in SEA but they are not exactly going to give you the luxury that Naga World, Marina Bay Sands, and Genting Resorts provides. Most of these casinos are on the border to Thailand and specifically cater to casino players from Thailand.
Usually, most Thai casino players stick to mobile casinos such as Slothitz which is a mecca for virtual table games and video slots!
However, for casino players to get a taste of land-based casino action they must travel around 3 to 4 hours to the Cambodian border where there are border towns with an array of large casinos.
That’s right, not just ‘a casino’ but there are multiple casinos in these locations. Perhaps the most famous area is Krong Poi Pet which borders Thailand Aranyaprathet. There is a border crossing here and immediately behind this is a strip with casinos full of table games, video slots, hotel rooms, restaurants, clubs, and bars.
The town of Poi Pet has become very wealthy out of Thailand’s love for gambling, or should we say, Thai citizen’s love for gambling as strictly speaking not all of Thailand approves or this guide would also mention Thailand casinos, which of course it doesn’t because the only casino in The Land of Smiles is illegal establishments.