There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of 21, 10 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 the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of luxuries aside from the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.