There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino wagering is illegal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are supposedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge casino, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features a number of conveniences on top of the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.