Roxy Casino, a newly renovated casino in Bavet town owned by publicly listed Australian firm Cell Aquaculture (CAQ), held its official grand opening today after a two-month trial period, which turned mediocre results for the firm.

In a filing to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) dated August 8, CAQ states that the firm experienced operational and administrative teething issues during its soft opening period. Despite the shaky start, however, the newcomer to Cambodia’s gambling industy managed to attract modest player traffic, largely brought on by gamblers betting on World Cup football matches.

“Since the Casino’s soft opening on May 26, 2014, the casino’s operations have been viewed as a trail for the purpose of realizing and attending to teething operational and administrative issues,” the statement, which was signed by company secretary Deborah Ho, says.

“It was encouraging to note that during the trial period, a count of players at gaming tables were noted every two hours and yielded a average of 550 patrons daily,” the statement continues, adding that the firm has recently launched an online gaming operation.

After purchasing the rights and title to the casino in March, CAQ invested some $2 million into renovating the previously run-down Roxy Casino, which is now one of 10 gaming venues peppered along National Highway 1 only metres from the Vietnamese border gate and employs more than 350 staff.

“Vietnamese locals are the most important market for the Roxy Casino due to its proximity to Ho Chi Minh City, which is the largest city in Vietnam and about 87 kilometres to Bavet," the statement says.

“Marketing programs and promotions are created to tap into this primary market, including attracting junkets from Vietnam,” the statement adds.

Hor Chenda, an official at the Bavet International Border Gate told the Post yesterday that he has not seen a decline in the number of people crossing the border to play in the notorious town’s casinos.

“I have noticed that the number of gamblers have been normal. In here, more than 200 gamblers play in the casinos here every day. Roxy is also doing well I think,” he said.