There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is prohibited. Eight casinos are established in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 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 the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, 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 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.