There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gaming is not permitted. Eight casinos are established in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, contains 150 one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games 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 chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that contains numerous amenities aside from the gambling den, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.