There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired 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 assumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are apparently needed to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, contains 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel building that features numerous conveniences aside from the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.