There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are apparently required to pass, there are means around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, contains 150 slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel building that highlights many conveniences on top of the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.