There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not permitted. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, contains 150 slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 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 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar gaming 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 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel complex that contains a number of conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.