There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is not legal. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are supposedly needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer 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 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains numerous luxuries accompanying the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 table games.
