There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from next door Thailand, in which casino gambling is illegal. Eight casinos are situated in a relatively tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a huge business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very 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 number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; although, funding sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and despite the fact visas are supposedly needed to cross, there are ways around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The original Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The initial gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and 70 tables 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 beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machines and sixty six of the common table games, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel compound that highlights numerous comforts in addition to the casino, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight table games.