There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which casino wagering is banned. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling locations 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 acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that highlights many comforts aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.