There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den betting is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime location, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, financing 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 around this, as is true of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and 70 gaming 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 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and 66 of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a motel, 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 multinational resort and hotel building that features a number of comforts aside from the gambling den, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.