There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features many amenities on top of the casino, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.