There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which casino betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are supposedly required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, features 150 slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 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 before long followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel compound that features a number of amenities accompanying the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 tables.
