There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is not permitted. Eight casinos are established in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming centers 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 astonishing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that features many conveniences on top of the casino, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 table games.