There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where casino wagering is illegal. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau casino, contains one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that features numerous conveniences in addition to the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 tables.