There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which casino wagering is banned. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are apparently required to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling hall, features 150 one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights numerous luxuries on top of the casino, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.