There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gambling is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge casino, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that features many amenities in addition to the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.
