There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is not legal. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in 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 complex that highlights many conveniences in addition to the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight table games.