There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, contains 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains many comforts on top of the gambling den, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.
