There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering 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 just a few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling hall, highlights 150 slots and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel building that contains a number of amenities in addition to the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.