There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are supposedly required to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, features 150 slots and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the common 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 one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel compound that highlights a number of conveniences on top of the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.