There is a captivating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is against the law. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are supposedly necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is accurate of many borders.

The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, contains 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slots and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel building that features many luxuries in addition to the casino, which provides ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight tables.