There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a three to 4 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 guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and even though visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau casino, contains 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features many conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.