There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel building that contains a number of comforts in addition to the casino, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.