There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where casino gambling is not allowed. Eight gambling halls are anchored in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect location, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The astonishing capital accrued from the gambling dens ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a few controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to cross, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling hall, highlights one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty tables. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with forty two tables of mini-punto banco, four tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are 150 one armed bandits and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 one armed bandits and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel compound that features many luxuries aside from the gambling hall, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 one armed bandits and 88 table games.