There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime spot, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, contains 150 slots and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features a number of comforts aside from the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.