There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are supposedly required to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that features many amenities accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight tables.