There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is banned. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, highlights 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that highlights many conveniences on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.