There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are supposedly needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, 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 resort and hotel compound that features a number of comforts aside from the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.