There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that highlights a number of amenities aside from the gambling den, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.