There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, 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 tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 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 eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features many luxuries aside from the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.