There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel building that features numerous luxuries aside from the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.