There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, in which casino betting is against the law. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and even though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most borders.
The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling hall, features 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy gaming 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 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that highlights many luxuries aside from the casino, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.