There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino betting is against the law. Eight casinos are based in a generally tiny space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, highlights 150 slots and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines 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 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel building that contains numerous amenities on top of the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.
