There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is against the law. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, features 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, 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, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that highlights many comforts aside from the casino, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 tables.