There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that highlights many luxuries accompanying the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.