There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, where casino gaming is illegal. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous luxuries on top of the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight table games.