There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not legal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly required to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship casino, contains 150 one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that highlights numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which has 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight gaming tables.