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There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is banned. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 1700, and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The original Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slots and 70 tables 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 banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international vacation and hotel complex that contains many comforts aside from the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.