There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.