There is a captivating background to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from neighboring Thailand, where gambling hall gaming is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are apparently necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked ship gambling den, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machines and 60 tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 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 machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machines and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that contains a number of amenities in addition to the gambling den, which has ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slots and 88 gaming tables.