There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat casino, contains 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, 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, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel building that features a number of comforts on top of the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.
