There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino gambling is banned. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most borders.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, contains 150 slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel complex that contains many luxuries on top of the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 table games.