There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not legal. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge casino, contains 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 table games 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 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous luxuries aside from the casino, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 table games.