There is a fascinating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just over the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall gaming is prohibited. Eight gambling halls are established in a generally small area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling dens is in an excellent location, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 most popular wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling dens do a thriving business with Thai laborers and guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The amazing capital gained from the gambling halls ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are ceremoniously open from 09:00 to 5:00 p.m., and despite the fact visas are for all intents and purposes required to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most borders.

The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only a single casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of 21, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slots and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred slot machine games and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and 96 table games, including eighty seven baccarat (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 one armed bandits and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive vacation and hotel compound that highlights many comforts on top of the gambling den, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight tables.