There is a captivating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are apparently required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The first Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational resort and hotel complex that highlights numerous comforts in addition to the casino, which houses 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight table games.