There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are apparently needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous amenities accompanying the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.