There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous comforts on top of the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 tables.