There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are based in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent spot, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that contains many amenities aside from the casino, which offers 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.