There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively small space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the normal tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel complex that contains numerous comforts accompanying the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.
