There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge gambling den, features 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 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 features 300 slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel building that contains many comforts accompanying the gambling den, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight gaming tables.