There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is banned. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer 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 machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel compound that features many comforts accompanying the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.