There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino wagering is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten 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, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that highlights many luxuries on top of the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.
