There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel compound that features many amenities on top of the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.