There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved 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 table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.