There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to cross, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored barge gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that contains many comforts aside from the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and 88 table games.