There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel compound that highlights a number of comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.