There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino wagering is not permitted. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a generally tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime destination, a three to 4 hour travel 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 only very few Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and despite the fact visas are supposedly necessary to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored barge gambling den, features 150 slot machine games and 60 tables. The Naga casino is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown quickly followed. There are 150 slot machine games and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 gaming tables, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five one armed bandits and sixty six of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 casinos in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that contains many luxuries in addition to the casino, which offers 10,000 square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.