There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino betting is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 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 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that contains a number of comforts on top of the casino, which has ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.
