There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gaming is against the law. Eight gambling dens are established in a relatively tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime area, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; still, financial 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 means around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slots and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel building that contains many luxuries on top of the gambling den, which provides 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and 88 table games.
