There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall betting is banned. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that highlights numerous comforts on top of the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.