There is a captivating history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is against the law. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 1700, and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features many comforts in addition to the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 table games.