There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is illegal. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, features 150 slots and sixty tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that features a number of amenities on top of the gambling den, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 tables.
