There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and though visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that features many amenities in addition to the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 tables.