There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains a number of luxuries on top of the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.