There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not legal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that features many conveniences aside from the gambling den, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.