There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is illegal. Eight casinos are established in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent destination, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half 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; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel building that highlights numerous conveniences on top of the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight table games.