There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, features 150 slots and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened 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 newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that contains numerous conveniences aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.
