There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, in which casino betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel building that features numerous amenities in addition to the casino, which has ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.