There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular 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 normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features a number of comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.