There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is illegal. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; still, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of many borders.
The initial 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, a docked barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, 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. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that contains a number of comforts accompanying the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.
