There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is against the law. Eight casinos are based in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and though visas are apparently required to cross, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that contains a number of amenities accompanying the gambling hall, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight table games.