There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not legal. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts aside from the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.