There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of many borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven 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 machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts in addition to the gambling den, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.