There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den gambling is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is real of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, contains 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of chemin de fer, ten 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, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel complex that highlights many luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.