There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that contains a number of amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight gaming tables.