There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gambling is banned. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 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 machine games and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that contains many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.