There is an appealing history to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino wagering is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling dens is in a prime destination, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 1700, and even though visas are apparently needed to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.
The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, features 150 slots and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel complex that contains numerous conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.