There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous comforts accompanying the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.
