There is an appealing history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling den gambling is illegal. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; although, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently required to pass, there are ways around this, as is real of most border crossings.
The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. A total of one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant 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 table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight casinos in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features a number of comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.
