There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.