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There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is banned. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime location, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations 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 phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a few limitations constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and although visas are apparently necessary to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling hall, highlights 150 slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga casino is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables 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 300 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 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots 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 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational vacation and hotel building that highlights a number of amenities accompanying the gambling den, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.