There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gambling is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are supposedly needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary ship gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel building that features a number of comforts in addition to the casino, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.