There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous amenities on top of the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.