There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that reside just over the border from nearby Thailand, where gambling hall betting is illegal. Eight gambling halls are based in a relatively small space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This collection of Cambodia casinos is in a prime location, a 3 to four hour travel from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia gambling halls do a huge business with Thai blue-collar workers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The amazing income gained from the gambling halls ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million dollars, and there are a few controls constraints for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is assumed to be mainly Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and though visas are apparently required to cross, there are means around this, as is accurate of most border crossings.

The original Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were required to close in 1998, leaving only one gambling den in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty one armed bandits and sixty gaming tables. The Naga gambling den never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat chemin de fer, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, two of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown before long followed. A total of 150 slot machines and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four one armed bandits and 68 tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machines and 70 table games and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and 96 table games, including 87 punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Also, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slots and 66 of the familiar tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the eight gambling dens in Poipet, also in a motel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and ninety seven table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an all-inclusive resort and hotel building that features many luxuries accompanying the gambling hall, which offers ten thousand sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight tables.