There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 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. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred 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 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the normal table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel building that highlights many amenities on top of the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.