There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and 70 tables 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. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel building that contains a number of conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.