There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent spot, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; still, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that highlights many comforts aside from the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.
