There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling den gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that highlights many conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.