There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are based in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that features a number of luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.