There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, where gambling den gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally small location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular betting centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of limitations constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The initial Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, features 150 slot machines and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall never closes with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are 150 slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel building that contains a number of comforts in addition to the gambling hall, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and 88 tables.