There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is illegal. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly required to cross, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. 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 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel compound that contains a number of comforts accompanying the casino, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight table games.