There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den betting is against the law. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital acquired from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently required to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel compound that contains a number of luxuries accompanying the casino, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.
