There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is real of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and 88 tables.