There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino betting is banned. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, contains 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer 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 banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features a number of conveniences on top of the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.