There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, where casino gambling is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are situated in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 one armed bandits and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel compound that contains a number of conveniences on top of the gambling den, which contains ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.