There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling den, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that highlights many comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.