There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den gambling is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features a number of comforts on top of the gambling hall, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.