There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall gambling is illegal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment 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 means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features numerous comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which has 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.