There is an appealing story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den wagering is against the law. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect destination, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many borders.
The first Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship gambling hall, contains 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga casino is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel building that features numerous luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and eighty eight table games.
