There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, in which casino wagering is banned. Eight gambling dens are established in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent location, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 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 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel building that highlights numerous luxuries in addition to the casino, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.