There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, in which casino gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect destination, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are allegedly needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of blackjack, 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, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games 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 eighty seven baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel compound that contains numerous conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 table games.