There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, in which casino betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is real of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous comforts aside from the gambling den, which has 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.