There is an appealing background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which gambling den gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are situated in a generally tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect area, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income accrued from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are allegedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is correct of many borders.

The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling den is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are one hundred and fifty slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machines and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and sixty six of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive resort and hotel complex that features numerous amenities on top of the gambling den, which provides ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty one armed bandits and eighty eight table games.