There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino wagering is not legal. Eight casinos are established in a generally small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features many comforts accompanying the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight table games.