There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that features a number of luxuries accompanying the casino, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.