There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is illegal. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of most borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight 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 slots and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel building that highlights many amenities accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 table games.