There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino wagering is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel compound that contains a number of conveniences aside from the gambling den, which offers ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.