There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is illegal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel building that features a number of luxuries in addition to the casino, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.