There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling den betting is banned. Eight casinos are established in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, highlights 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel compound that contains many amenities on top of the gambling hall, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.