There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is not legal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are means around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slots and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel complex that features a number of amenities on top of the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight tables.