There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is not legal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that contains many amenities on top of the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.