There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gaming is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, contains 150 slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 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 initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains many conveniences accompanying the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.