Two Years In, Kampot Casino Downsizes
The Ha Tien Vegas Entertainment Resort and casino in Kampot Province along the Vietnamese border announced yesterday that it has sacked 500 employees and shut down its 130-room resort less than two years after it became the first casino to open in the province. The company said that its hotel business failed to turn a profit, but that its casino - which contains more than all slot machines and 75 gaming tables - would stay open. "The resort has never been successful since the very beginning of business operations, therefore we are reducing the size of our business activity," Ho Laypao, a spokesman for the company, said in a statement. Mr. Laypao added that the road to the Ha Tien Vegas has been under restoration for months and had turned customers away from the resort. Business will resume at the resort if profits from the casino are high enough, he said.
