There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where casino gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are based in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are means around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel compound that highlights a number of conveniences aside from the gambling den, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 table games.