There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino betting is not allowed. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively small location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime area, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, financial sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is real of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia gambling dens premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 slot machine games and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits 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 slot machines and sixty six of the familiar table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel compound that features many comforts aside from the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.