There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where casino betting is banned. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that contains a number of luxuries accompanying the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.