There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that highlights a number of conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.