There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is not permitted. Eight casinos are based in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous luxuries on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 tables.