There is a fascinating history to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the dividing line from next door Thailand, in which gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny location in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia gambling dens is in a perfect area, a three to four hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest gaming centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling dens ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is required to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are ceremoniously open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are for all intents and purposes needed to pass, there are means around this, as is true of most border crossings.

The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving just 1 gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of chemin de fer, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The 1st gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of 150 slots and five table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight gaming tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety six table games, including eighty seven baccarat chemin de fer (the most dominant game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the common tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, again a part of a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel complex that highlights many luxuries on top of the gambling hall, which houses ten thousand sq.ft. of one hundred and thirty slot machines and 88 gaming tables.