There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino gambling is not permitted. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two 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 slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel building that contains numerous comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.