There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is not legal. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel building that features many luxuries aside from the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.