There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is not legal. Eight casinos are established in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are supposedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of most border crossings.
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 ship gambling den, highlights 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty 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 features 300 slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features many conveniences on top of the gambling den, which houses 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 tables.