There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gambling is against the law. Eight casinos are situated in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of many borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, highlights 150 slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga gambling den is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel complex that features many conveniences on top of the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.