There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering 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 couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that contains many conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.