There is an interesting history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where casino betting is prohibited. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are allegedly necessary to cross, there are means around this, as is true of most borders.

The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty tables. The Naga river boat is open all hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of vingt-et-un, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. A total of 150 slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the normal gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in a multinational resort and hotel building that contains a number of conveniences accompanying the casino, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.