There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is not legal. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that contains a number of conveniences in addition to the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.