There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gambling is illegal. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the casinos ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and although visas are supposedly required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored bateau gambling hall, contains 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel building that highlights many luxuries in addition to the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 table games.