There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is banned. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are allegedly required to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous luxuries aside from the casino, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.