There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is illegal. Eight casinos are based in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel building that features a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.