There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, where casino gambling is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, highlights 150 slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 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 the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that contains numerous comforts in addition to the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.