There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino betting is not legal. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling 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 amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that highlights a number of amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.