There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight casinos are based in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that features a number of luxuries on top of the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 tables.