There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight casinos are established in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that contains many conveniences aside from the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.