There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den 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 a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that highlights many conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.