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There is an interesting background to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den wagering is illegal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally small area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, financing sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is true of most borders.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international resort and hotel compound that highlights many luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.