There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines 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 eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular 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 normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features numerous amenities on top of the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight table games.
