There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino wagering is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming 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 few Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; still, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are apparently needed to cross, there are methods 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 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming 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 popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that highlights many luxuries accompanying the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.
