There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai 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 twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 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. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that contains a number of luxuries accompanying the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight tables.