There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which casino gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are apparently needed to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, 10 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, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 table games 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 popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that features numerous amenities in addition to the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.