There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that contains a number of comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.