There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that features numerous luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.