Poipet Casinos

A border town built for gambling

Poipet is a small city in Banteay Meanchey province, in northwestern Cambodia, sitting directly on the border with Thailand. The Thai side of the crossing is Aranyaprathet; the Cambodian side is Poipet, and the two are separated by the Poipet international checkpoint. Grand Diamond City, one of the best-known casino hotels in town, stands about 200 meters from the border itself⁵, which gives you a sense of how compact the casino district is: you can walk from Thailand into the heart of it in minutes.

The town exists as a gambling destination for one simple reason. Casinos are not permitted in Thailand, so operators set up as close to the Thai border as Cambodian rules allow. Cambodia's casinos are located mostly in border towns like Poipet near Thailand and Bavet bordering Vietnam, with others in coastal areas such as Koh Kong and Sihanoukville⁶. Poipet, along with Sihanoukville, is one of the two main concentrations of the Cambodian casino industry⁷.

The border strip as a whole, taking in Poipet plus the crossings at Pailin, O'Smach and Koh Kong, has carried around a dozen casinos of varying sizes¹. Poipet is the busiest and best known of them, and it is the most popular gambling destination for travelers heading to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat because it is easier to reach from Bangkok than any of the alternatives⁴.

For a wider picture of the country's gambling scene, see gambling in Cambodia and casinos in Cambodia.

The casinos you will see

Poipet's casino row is made up of hotel-casino complexes clustered around the border checkpoint. The names that come up again and again in reporting on the town include Star Vegas, Grand Diamond City, Crown, Holiday, Ho Wah Genting, Tropicana and Golden Crown⁸.

The best-known venues, and the details reporting on the town gives for each, are set out below.

If you have heard of "Crown Poipet" and "Golden Crown Poipet" as if they were separate places, they are in fact facilities within the same complex. The December 2022 fire, by contrast, happened at Grand Diamond City, which is a separate venue of its own and not part of the Crown and Golden Crown complex, and it is a reminder that standards in border casino hotels have not always matched what you might expect elsewhere.

Beyond these, the border strip has historically included Holiday, Ho Wah Genting, Tropicana and Golden Crown among the casinos connected to the town⁸. The lineup changes over time: in 2026, the KMH Paradise Tower Casino and Hotel in Kbal Spean 1 village, O'Chrov district, Poipet City, was shut down following its alleged involvement in online scam operations¹³. Check the current state of any venue before you plan around it.

Who plays there: Thais, Chinese, South Koreans and Malaysians

Poipet's casinos cater to Thais, thousands of whom cross the border at weekends to gamble in casinos that are allowed to operate legally on the Cambodian side³. The weekend rhythm is the defining pattern of the town: busy from Friday through Sunday, quieter midweek.

Alongside the Thai weekend traffic, the casinos serve visitors from China, South Korea and Malaysia³. The town also attracts local Cambodians, though not as players: Poipet bustles with casinos and attracts a large number of visitors from Thailand as well as locals, many of whom work in and around the industry¹⁴.

This mix is not unique to Poipet. Cambodia's other border casino towns follow the same logic, with the customers coming from the neighboring country. At Bavet on the Vietnamese border, foreign gamblers arrive from Vietnam for day visits¹⁵, and at the Lucky Ruby Border Casino most of the guests are from Vietnam¹⁶. Poipet is simply the Thai version of the same model, on a larger scale.

Who can take part

The casinos in Poipet are allowed to operate legally³, and foreign visitors with a passport can enter and play. The clientele is made up of Thais, Chinese, South Koreans and Malaysians, so if you are a visitor or expat from any of those countries, or from elsewhere, you can take part. Cambodian citizens are the group excluded: the industry exists for foreigners, which is why the venues sit on the border rather than in Cambodian population centers.

One thing to be aware of: the border casino industry in Cambodia has had problems with online scam operations, and some Poipet properties have been raided or shut down over them¹³. Stick to the established, named venues and keep your wits about you. For more on this, see gambling scams in Cambodia.

Getting there from Bangkok

The route from Bangkok runs through Aranyaprathet, the Thai border town, and across the checkpoint into Poipet. There is no casino on the Thai side, so the border is the destination.

A few practical points for the trip:

• Distance and direction. Poipet is the closest legal gaming destination to the Bangkok area². Buses and minivans run from Bangkok's northern bus terminals to Aranyaprathet, and from there you walk or take a short ride through the checkpoint.
• The crossing. You pass through Thai exit control and Cambodian entry control at the Poipet international checkpoint⁹. Bring your passport; see the checklist below for details.
• On the Cambodian side. The casinos cluster within a few hundred meters of the checkpoint. Grand Diamond City is about 200 meters from the border⁵, and Crown is near the checkpoint itself⁹, so once you are through, everything is walkable.
• Thai connectivity. One quirk worth knowing: Thai mobile phone networks have been banned in Poipet⁸, so your Thai SIM may not work once you cross. Plan accordingly if you need to stay reachable.

Thailand itself has been moving toward legalizing casinos, with entertainment complexes planned for Bangkok and other cities¹⁷. If those open, the dynamic that keeps Poipet busy could change, but for now the border town remains the closest legal option for Thais.

What to expect on the casino floor

Poipet's venues are hotel-casino complexes rather than polished integrated resorts. Here is what you will find:

• Table games. Baccarat is the backbone of every Cambodian border casino, and Poipet is no exception. You will also find dragon tiger, roulette and blackjack. For an overview of the games on offer across the country, see casino games in Cambodia.
• Poker. Sands Poker Club positions itself as a poker house in Poipet¹². For the broader poker scene, see poker in Cambodia.
• Bingo. Star Vegas is one of the Cambodian land-based casinos where bingo is available⁷, which is unusual for the region.
• Pok Deng. This Thai card game, more common in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and some Chinese territories than elsewhere, appears in Asian casinos¹⁸. Given the Thai clientele, it is a natural fit for Poipet. See traditional gambling games in Cambodia for more.
• Currency. Expect Thai baht to be accepted alongside US dollars; the customer base is overwhelmingly Thai, and the venues are built for them.

The atmosphere is functional rather than glamorous. These are working casinos for weekend gamblers, not destination resorts. Compared with casinos in Phnom Penh or casinos in Sihanoukville, Poipet's floors are more utilitarian and more focused on volume table play.

One caution worth a sentence: the industry around Poipet has seen criminal cases, including the death of a Thai national at a Poipet casino¹⁰ and arrests of Chinese nationals for alleged cybercrimes at a casino near the checkpoint⁹. Choose established venues and keep your own documents and money secure.

Combining a casino trip with Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Poipet works well as a stop on an overland route from Bangkok to Siem Reap, and that is exactly how many travelers use it. It is the most popular gambling destination for travelers to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat because it is easier to reach from Bangkok than the alternatives⁴. The road from Poipet to Siem Reap continues southeast through Banteay Meanchey province, and the two cities are connected by the main overland route.

A few things to know about the Siem Reap end of the trip:

• No casinos at Angkor. Cambodian law bars casinos from Siem Reap's Angkor area¹⁹, so the temples themselves are kept clear of gambling. Poipet is the place to play on this route.
• Bingo in Siem Reap. Bingo is available at several Cambodian land-based casinos, including venues in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh as well as Star Vegas in Poipet⁷, so there is some gaming presence in Siem Reap town even though the Angkor area is off limits.
• Suggested shape. Cross at Poipet, spend a night or a weekend at the casinos, then continue to Siem Reap for the temples. Or do it in reverse if you are heading to Bangkok.

If you are planning a wider gambling tour of the country, Poipet pairs naturally with the other border towns: casinos in Bavet on the Vietnamese side, and the coastal venues further south.

First-visit checklist

If you are crossing from Thailand for a first visit, here is what to sort out before you go:

• Passport. You need a valid passport for both sides of the Poipet international checkpoint. Foreign visitors cross there as standard, and casinos check identity at the door.
• Cash. Bring Thai baht and US dollars. Border casinos serve a Thai clientele and handle baht routinely, but dollars are the fallback currency across Cambodia. For payment options generally, see gambling payments in Cambodia.
• Phone plan. Thai networks are banned in Poipet⁸, so arrange a Cambodian SIM, an eSIM or offline maps before you cross.
• Timing. Weekends are when the Thais arrive in thousands³. If you want a quieter floor, go midweek; if you want the full atmosphere, go Friday to Sunday.
• Venue choice. Stick to the established names: Star Vegas, Crown and the other long-running properties near the checkpoint. At least one Poipet casino has been shut down over alleged scam operations¹³, so a name you recognize matters.
• Onward plans. If Siem Reap is next, book the road transport in advance; the route is well traveled but vehicles fill up on weekends.
• Know the rules of the games. Baccarat and dragon tiger are simple to pick up, and Pok Deng is worth learning if you want to play alongside the Thai regulars¹⁸.

Poipet is not a polished resort town, and it does not pretend to be. It is a convenient, legal, walkable cluster of casinos an easy trip from Bangkok, and for most visitors that is exactly what they are there for.