There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, 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 sixty six of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that highlights numerous luxuries aside from the gambling den, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.