There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino betting is not legal. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel complex that highlights many amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.