There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are apparently necessary 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 the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, features 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that highlights many comforts in addition to the casino, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.
