There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from neighboring Thailand, where casino gaming is banned. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent destination, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be largely Thai; however, funding sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and although visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.

The first Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slot machines and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as one 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 slots and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel compound that features numerous luxuries accompanying the gambling den, which offers 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and 88 gaming tables.