There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall betting is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is required to be largely Thai; although, financing sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is accurate of many borders.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary boat casino, features 150 slots and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slots and 70 gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots 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 66 of the normal table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel complex that features numerous amenities aside from the gambling hall, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and eighty eight tables.