There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, in which casino gaming is banned. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and 70 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 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight table games.