There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling dens that reside just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, where gambling hall gaming 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 perfect area, a 3 to 4 hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two most popular gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a number of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are for all intents and purposes required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is correct of most border crossings.

The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored ship casino, highlights 150 one armed bandits and sixty table games. The Naga gambling hall is open all day and night with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 5 table games 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 contains three hundred slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 one armed bandits and 96 gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-around resort and hotel complex that contains a number of conveniences in addition to the gambling den, which contains 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machine games and 88 gaming tables.