There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is banned. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts aside from the casino, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight gaming tables.