There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty slots and 60 table games. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features many amenities in addition to the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.
