There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is real of many borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel compound that features numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.