There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six 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 machine games and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous conveniences on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.