There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino gaming is illegal. Eight casinos are established in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel compound that highlights many conveniences on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight table games.