Once up a time, Hollywood A-list stars who wanted to earn some serious yen or yuan would secretly hop on their private planes and head to Asia. Secure in the knowledge that their secret was safe, they would shoot a

Life is like a box of chocolates. In 1994, Forrest Gump, the Lion King, Friends, and the Sony Playstation all made their debuts. In the charts, Oasis and Blur were fighting it out. Kurt Cobain committed suicide, the Channel Tunnel

All’s fair in love and war. In the battle between player and casino, the spoils are shared and the odds are no secret. The casino’s profit is represented by the house edge: the margin of money that ends up staying

Predicting the future is a risky business. In fact: it’s the business that casinos and sportsbooks are built on. In 1994, the world’s first online casino hit the Internet. It’s been 21 years. Where is it now and what does

Chips… for a citizen of the United States, a chip is a deep fried, thinly cut, slice of potato. In the UK, chips are served with battered fish, wrapped in paper, and eaten with a wooden fork. In the

The new Fifty Shades of Grey film may be getting a mixed reception from critics but the kinky tale of Anastasia Steele’s erotic baptism of fire, at the hands of horny billionaire businessman and S&M aficionado Christian Grey, is a

It’s gambling Jim, but not as we know it… Scratch beneath the surface of some of the world’s most famous casinos and you will discover a wealth of obscure, little known, games.

We have all enjoyed an evening at

Do you say ‘touch wood’? Are you careful to avoid walking under ladders? Is it panic stations when a black cat crosses your path? Have you got a lucky charm that you always take to the casino?

In February and

Imagine: you’re 21 years old, your image is tacked to the wall of a thousand teenage girls, you are one fifth of the world’s most popular boy band. What are you going to do on your night off?

If your

Everyone loves a little action at the casino. The rattle of the roulette wheel, the turn of the card, the surge of adrenalin when the reels start to spin in your favour. It can be a lot of fun and

Most things in life can be improved by moving them closer to the sea. The holiday home with a sea view, a romantic dinner on the beach, a gentle snooze in a hammock as the surf rolls in.

Casinos are

Beating the casino is always a thrill. You split. You double down. You beat the dealer. You play your lucky number and the roulette wheel plays ball. You roll the dice and the chips pile up.

For most of us

These days, very few casinos still insist on black tie and a dinner jacket. Elegance and sophistication may be harder to find but there are still a handful of casinos where you need a little class to cut it at

Double down? Split? Fold? Run for the door? For the first-time visitor, the casino can be an overwhelming experience. Impatient players and grumpy gamblers can pressure you into making the wrong move. It’s potentially an expensive lesson to learn.

Here

Heading out on the town tonight? Have you got a celebrity chum who needs entertaining? The famous love a flutter. We’ve put together a list of the top casino games to suit the glitterati.

#1. Blackjack – Ben Affleck, Tiger

Necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also the reason why the world’s leading covert agencies look to Las Vegas to see the latest surveillance, security, and monitoring systems in action.

Las Vegas is where money meets the motivated. Not

Lots have been cast since time began. In the bible, the casting of lots is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New. Even rogue disciple Judas was replaced with the throw of some ancient

The fishmonger, a zookeeper and a case of manslaughter: sometimes, life really is stranger than fiction. It takes a special kind of mojo to run a casino and these three larger-than-life personalities had it by the bucket load.

Are you

You’ve got your free drink. You’ve bought $5,000 worth of chips and your complimentary suite has a great view of the strip (don’t forget: you’re only gambling $200). You’ve picked your table. It’s time to play.

Whatever game you choose,