There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of luxuries accompanying the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.
