There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall wagering is illegal. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are means around this, as is real of many borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored bateau gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel complex that features numerous amenities accompanying the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.
