There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are based in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently required to cross, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, features 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features a number of conveniences aside from the casino, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.
