There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (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 sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that features many conveniences on top of the casino, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight tables.