There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect destination, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that features many amenities aside from the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.
