There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 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. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that contains many luxuries accompanying the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 table games.