There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime area, a three to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of most border crossings.
The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge casino, features 150 slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machine games and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-inclusive vacation and hotel complex that features many comforts on top of the casino, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 table games.