There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is banned. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest 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 phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently required to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge casino, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that contains many conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which houses 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.