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There is an interesting story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino gaming is against the law. Eight casinos are based in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel building that highlights many amenities in addition to the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.