There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features many luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.