There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel compound that contains a number of conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.