There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 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 soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.
