There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that contains many conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.