Chiang Rai: As Thai and Cambodian villagers living near the border conflict zone have fled the area, Thai gamblers too have escaped to safer casinos _ in Burma.In the aftermath of Wednesday's clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in the border area of Si Sa Ket province, gamblers are switching from casinos in Cambodia to those in Burma. Bookings are reportedly up at luxury casino resorts like the Allure Resort and Regina Hotel & Golf Club in Burma's Tachilek opposite Mae Sai district.

At the Moc Bai border gate in the southern province of Tay Ninh there are over ten groups of ‘brokers’ who bring Vietnamese gamblers to Cambodia’s casinos. Every weekend, 600-700 cross the border for gambling. At a very hot noon of Tay Ninh as a coach from HCM City’s Ben Thanh to Tay Ninh’s Moc Bai has just stopped, tens of young men surrounded the coach and delivered name cards of Cambodian casinos to passengers.