There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just across the border from neighboring Thailand, in which casino wagering is not legal. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently required to pass, there are means around this, as is true of many borders.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machine games and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around vacation and hotel building that contains numerous amenities aside from the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and 88 gaming tables.