There is an interesting background to the Cambodia casinos that lie just across the border from nearby Thailand, in which gambling hall wagering is illegal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny area in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia casinos is in a prime spot, a 3 to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the 2 largest betting locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai blue-collar workers and tourists from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a few Westerners. The phenomenal income gained from the gambling dens ranges from 7.5 million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of controls constraints for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be mostly Thai; however, investment sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 09:00 to 17:00, and although visas are apparently required to cross, there are methods and means around this, as is true of most borders.

The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only one casino in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored boat gambling den, contains one hundred and fifty slot machine games and sixty table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-punto banco, 4 tables of vingt-et-un, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.

The first casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, premiered in 1999 and the Golden Crown quickly opened. There are 150 slots and 5 table games at the Golden Crown and 104 slot machine games and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The latest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort contains three hundred one armed bandits and seventy tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has one hundred and sixty six one armed bandits and ninety six gaming tables, including eighty seven baccarat banque (the most popular game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. Additionally, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slot machine games and sixty six of the familiar tables, as well as 1 table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the eight gambling halls in Poipet, also a part of a hotel, is the Princess Casino with one hundred and sixty six slot machines and 97 games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel compound that features a number of conveniences in addition to the gambling hall, which offers ten thousand square feet of 130 slot machines and eighty eight table games.