There is an interesting history to the Cambodia casinos that sit just over the border from next door Thailand, where casino gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are situated in a relatively small space in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This band of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect location, a 3 to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest wagering centers in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to over twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, investment sources are vague. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 17:00, and though visas are for all intents and purposes necessary to cross, there are ways around this, as is correct of many borders.

The initial Cambodia casinos opened in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving just 1 casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a stationary barge gambling hall, features one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with forty two tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of twenty-one, 10 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 followed. A total of 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machines and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort features 300 slot machines and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the normal gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight casinos in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a multinational vacation and hotel complex that contains a number of luxuries in addition to the gambling hall, which houses 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.