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There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent location, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 1700, and though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is accurate of most borders.

The 1st Cambodia casinos premiered 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 ship casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 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 initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. There are 150 slot machines and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven punto banco (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 sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel compound that contains numerous comforts on top of the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.