There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den gambling is not legal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel building that features numerous comforts in addition to the casino, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.