There is a fascinating story to the Cambodia casinos that reside just across the dividing line from neighboring Thailand, in which casino gambling is not legal. Eight casinos are situated in a generally small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect spot, a 3 to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income accrued from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, investment sources are ambiguous. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 17:00, and even though visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of many border crossings.

The 1st Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked barge gambling den, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The original gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machines and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features three hundred one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety six table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 slot machine games and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that features numerous comforts aside from the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand square feet of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 table games.