There is a captivating background to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which casino betting is not legal. Eight gambling dens are anchored in a relatively tiny location in the metropolis of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia gambling halls is in a perfect spot, a 3 to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 biggest gaming locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai workers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The phenomenal capital acquired 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 limitations requirements for gambling den ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mostly Thai; although, financial sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 9:00 a.m. to 1700, and even though visas are allegedly required to pass, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.

The original Cambodia gambling halls opened in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in the late nineties, leaving just a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a docked boat gambling hall, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and 60 table games. The Naga casino never closes with forty two tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of twenty-one, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and one each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first gambling hall in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon followed. There are one hundred and fifty slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and sixty eight table games at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and seventy table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six slot machine games and 96 table games, including 87 baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and 66 of the normal tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. Another one of the 8 casinos in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slots and ninety seven casino games. The Star Vegas Casino is is located in an all-around resort and hotel building that features many comforts aside from the casino, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 slot machine games and eighty eight gaming tables.