There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling halls that sit just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is against the law. Eight gambling halls are situated in a generally tiny location in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect location, a three to four hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few restrictions constraints for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are apparently needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling dens opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling den, features one hundred and fifty slots and sixty table games. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat, 4 tables of 21, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the common table games, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, again a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around vacation and hotel compound that features many conveniences accompanying the gambling den, which contains ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight table games.