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There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are ambiguous. The borders are officially open from 09:00 to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest 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 one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel complex that contains many conveniences on top of the gambling hall, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.