There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is banned. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau casino, contains 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that contains many amenities on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 table games.