There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is prohibited. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous luxuries on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.