There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel compound that contains many comforts on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.