There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is against the law. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous amenities aside from the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.