There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is banned. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables 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 highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts aside from the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.