There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous comforts on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.