There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is not permitted. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.
The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel building that highlights numerous conveniences in addition to the casino, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 table games.
