Reichel claims this took a substantial slice of the casino’s profits. The company soon discovered, the court documents continue, that the new casinos had also “poached” the Star Vegas’s lucrative VIP junkets, along with many of Star Vegas gaming staff.

Midway through 2017, Donaco discovered, it alleges in court documents, that rival casinos were being set up on land linked to Somboon – including one out the back of a local supermarket – in what Donaco alleges are breaches of a non-compete clause in the sale contract. Joey Lim met with him and the two agreed Somboon would stay on as a consultant earning about $170,000 a year. In 2017 Donaco decided it was time to take full control of Star Vegas from Somboon. Then, just as things were returning to normal and the official mourning period ended, more trouble surfaced. Sometimes junket operators lend gamblers money. Junket hosts identify deep-pocketed punters and offer them an all-expenses trip to the casino for a few days. Junkets are crucial to Asian casinos, and especially border town casinos with no other attractions.

To make up for the shortfall in Thai visitors Donaco sought out gamblers from Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Macau by signing deals with new junket operators. “You are competing with other operators who may not necessarily be fair.” “If you operate in Cambodia, you operate at your own risk,” says Peter Cohen, a prominent gaming industry advisor and former regulator who is now with the Agenda Group and helped draft Cambodia's yet-to-be-introduced casino laws. Wherever you go in the world, casinos are a risky business both for the punters who walk through the doors and dream of going home with full pockets, and for the owners who spend top dollar to create the most luxurious settings, and whose fortunes can swing dramatically on a handful of lucky – or unlucky – winning streaks.īut with a groundswell of new casino licences and an absence of any government regulation on how they operate, casinos in Cambodia are probably as dicey as they get. it’s probably the same size as The Star casino in Sydney.” “Our property is the largest, best-quality casino there – 100 gaming tables, 1200 slot machines. “There’s a whole strip of casinos, about 10 casinos, all servicing the Thai market,” says Ben Reichel, Donaco’s executive director.

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