There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den wagering is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are apparently required to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga river boat is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 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, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that highlights numerous amenities aside from the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.