There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, contains 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, 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, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant 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 normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that features a number of amenities accompanying the gambling hall, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.