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There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino betting is against the law. 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 perfect location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; still, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and though visas are allegedly required to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga gambling hall never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six 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 machines and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that contains numerous amenities accompanying the casino, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.