There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is against the law. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.