There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, contains 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel compound that features a number of comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.