There is an appealing background to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den gaming is illegal. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financing sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are supposedly required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The original Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features a number of amenities aside from the casino, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.