10/03/2010, Definitions

Gambling is not a recently discovered phenomenon as it dates from the Egyptian antiquity. Chinese, Japanese, Greek and Roman people were all known for their passion regarding the games of skill and chance.

* The first Las Vegas casino was licensed in 1931.
* The name “Las Vegas” means “the meadows” in Spanish.
* Las Vegas covers 84.272 square miles, 219.1 square kilometers and there are currently 1701 licensed gambling places there. The state gaming revenue is of 9 billion dollars every year.
* Las Vegas counts 36.7 million annual visitors.
* In 1953, Las Vegas counted 1,800 hotel rooms. Today there are 124,270.
* Seventeen of the 20 biggest hotels in the U.S. are in Las Vegas.
* Each king in a deck of cards represents a great king in history, through historical figures. For example: The King of Spades represents David (the King of the Kingdom of Israel), The King of Clubs represents Alexander the Great (the legendary king of Macedon), The King of Hearts represents Charlemagne (or Charles the Great), and The King of Diamonds represents Julius Caesar.
* The four suits from a deck of cards can correspond to:
- the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter;
- or they can correspond to the four winds: North, East, South and West.

* The various suits of the cards can also represent the four different cultures (the Middle East, Greece, the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire), that had major influences on the world.
* The two colours, red and black can represent the day and night.
* The 52 cards can also represent the 52 weeks of the year.
* The four suits of 13 cards each can correspond to the four quarters of the year, each having 13 weeks.
* The twelve court cards are analogous to the twelve months of the year, or to the twelve hours between noon and midnight.

* There is one slot machine for every eight of the Las Vegas inhabitants.
* The first slot machine was developed by Charles Fey and it was called “The Liberty Bell”.
* Studies show that 24% of all Americans admit they have gambled illegally at least once in their lives.