There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, highlights 150 slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games 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 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that features numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.