There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, features 150 one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits 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 hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel building that features a number of luxuries on top of the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 tables.