There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling dens that sit just across the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is not permitted. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest betting centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income acquired from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to over 12.5 million dollars, and there are a number of limitations requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mainly Thai; although, financing sources are ambiguous. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 1700, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The first Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked bateau casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga river boat is open 24 hours with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. A total of one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machine games and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest 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 one armed bandits and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common table games, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a hotel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an international resort and hotel compound that highlights a number of amenities accompanying the gambling den, which has 10,000 sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.