There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is against the law. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods and means 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 only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel building that features many comforts accompanying the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.