There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den gambling is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting 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 only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights many luxuries accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 table games.