There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous amenities on top of the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 table games.