There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino betting is not legal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent destination, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and even though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are means around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and 66 of the normal table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 gaming tables.