There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not legal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge casino, contains 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly 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 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant 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 table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, 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 comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains a number of amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.