There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is banned. Eight gambling halls are established in a relatively tiny area in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in an excellent area, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering 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 couple of Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and although visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to pass, there are ways around this, as is correct of most borders.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary bateau gambling den, features one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat, four tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and 104 one armed bandits and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains 300 slots and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machines and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel complex that features numerous comforts accompanying the casino, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slots and eighty eight tables.