There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is not legal. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, highlights 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel complex that highlights numerous comforts in addition to the casino, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.