There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is against the law. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and although visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, ten 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 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that contains a number of amenities on top of the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.