There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is against the law. Eight casinos are based in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent destination, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 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 features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel building that contains a number of conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 tables.