There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is not legal. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that highlights numerous luxuries accompanying the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 tables.