There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not permitted. Eight casinos are established in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, features 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that contains numerous conveniences aside from the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.