There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den betting is banned. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel building that features many comforts in addition to the gambling den, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight tables.