For grammar aficionados, the absence of a possessive adjective in ‘Caesars Palace’ is not an error; it was, in fact, a deliberate ploy by hotel developer Jay Sarno to make the name sound inclusive and appealing to every one of his patrons, who could each feel like ‘a Caesar’.

As the name suggests, Caesars Palace was inspired by Ancient Rome so, naturally enough, various depictions of Julius Caesar, including a 20-foot high marble statue that stands watch over the entrance, are to be found in, and around, the building. The toga-clad cocktail waitresses, which were one of the innovations revealed when Caesars Palace opened in 1966, still feature, although their uniform is no longer as short and tight as was once the case.

In the meantime, Caesars Palace, which occupies a prestigious location on Las Vegas Boulevard South, on the western side of the Las Vegas Strip, has become one of the familiar landmarks in ‘Sin City’. In terms of accommodation, the modern facility features over 4,500 rooms, suites and villas – a seven-fold increase since 1966 – and the modern casino floor occupies 125,000 square feet. Table games include baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette and several varieties of poker, including Three Card Poker and Crazy Four Poker, and are supplemented by a variety of traditional and video slot machines with stakes starting at just 1¢.

Ponte 16 Resort is an integrated casino, entertainment and hotel complex in Macau, the semi-autonomous territory on the south coast of China, otherwise known as the ‘Monte Carlo of the Orient’. However, unlike other resorts in the region, Ponte 16 is located in Santo António on the western portion of the Macau Peninsula and is, in fact, the only resort in the Inner Harbour of Macau.

Opened in February, 2008, Ponte 16 Resort encompasses 1,300,000 square feet, of which roughly a fifth – that is, an area broadly equivalent to two-and-a-half international football pitches – is devoted to gaming space, spread over four floors. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the limited number of gaming tables on the privately-run second and third floors are the preserve of ‘high rollers’, with minimum stakes ranging between $1,000 and $10,000.

The majority of the 100 or so gaming tables, though, are located on the ground floor, which is the larger of the two floors available to the mass market. Table games include baccarat, roulette and sic bo – electronic versions of which are also available – along with blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, fan tan and pai gow, all with relatively low minimum stakes. Similarly, between 250 and 300 slot machines, with stakes ranging from $0.20 to $1, are dispersed throughout the ground, first and second floors and video poker is also available on the second floor.

Nothing quite beats sitting back with a movie and getting involved with someone else’s story. If you have run out of movies to watch then here are some of the top TV shows that you might want to look into, as they are all based on the concept of a casino.

Caesars Challenge

This show has all of the makings of a throwback ever since it aired on NBC in 1993. It’s very easy to understand which is a bonus of course. People who participate in this kind of show would often be asked a number of questions. The answers were displayed for the audience on what looks like a giant slot machine. The show was entertaining, and it was a big hit back in the day. Contestants on the show would receive up to $500 if they were able to solve specific problems in a short space of time.

Celebrity Poker Showdown

Celebrity Poker Showdown- the best way for you to see some of your favourite celebrities go up against one another. Fans could easily choose their favourite stars of the day and they can watch them play against one another. The end player who comes out on top can then take home some serious cash. The individual pot can climb pretty high as celebrities often have enough cash to make some huge wagers. Sometimes the pot can go up to $1 million dollars just for a single hand. If you love to play online slots or other casino games then you will love the thrill of this TV show.

Vegas Strip

Vegas Strip – this might not be as gambling-focused as some of the other TV shows on here, but it is very entertaining. The show follows a couple of patrol cops as they navigate the streets of Las Vegas. You will see a lot of casinos in this show and you may even see some entertaining scenes as well. The cops need to try and control the rowdy casino attendees, while also preventing trouble in general.

Big Deal

This show focuses on Ray Brooks, who is a professional poker player. He talks on the impact that playing poker and gambling has had on his life and his girlfriend. The show has been around for quite a number of years now but it is safe to say that so many people still appreciate it to this day. The show was on the BBC in 1994 and it was very popular during its run. It’s a very entertaining watch and you would be surprised at how much emotion they can pack into one show.

Of course, if you are bored or if you want something to do then you won’t want to miss out on these shows. If you watch some of them then you may get a bigger insight into the gambling world and you may even find that there are so many different perspectives out there too.

Although superseded as the largest hotel complex in the world by the First World Hotel in Malaysia and the Venetian, also on the Las Vegas Strip, the MGM Grand remains the largest single hotel in the United States. Built as an extension to the 700-room Marina Hotel – which forms the ‘West Wing’ of the current hotel – in 1991, the MGM Grand opened in 1993.

Situated at the intersection between Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana, the entrance to the MGM Grand is guarded by the unmistakable figure of ‘Leo the Lion’, the mascot of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio. The huge, 45-foot bronze statue replaced the original entrance in the Nineties, after many superstitious Asian visitors refused to enter the casino through the jaws of a lion, as was previously the case.

In any event, the MGM Grand has a casino floor covering 171,500 square feet or 1.59 hectares – in other words, larger than Lords Cricket Ground – making it the largest in Las Vegas. Table games include baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette – in both European, single-zero and American, double-zero versions – and several poker variants, such as crazy four poker, pai gow poker and three card poker, as well as Texas hold’em poker. The MGM Grand also offers an extensive selection of electronic gaming machines, including slot machines and video poker machines, with stakes ranging from £0.01 to $1,000.

Unsurprisingly, The Venetian Macao, like The Venetian Las Vegas, is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and was designed to be a Las Vegas-style integrated resort casino. In fact, The Venetian Macao is a carbon copy of the Venetia Las Vegas, right down to the canals, gondolas and gondoliers.

Of course, The Venetian Macao is situated on the so-called ‘Cotai Strip’ – the term was coined, and trademarked, by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation – on Cotai Island, which is part of the semi-autonomous territory of Macau, a.k.a. Macau, in southern China. Indeed, with a casino floor covering 546,000 square feet, or just over 5 hectares – visualise five international football pitches fashioned into a single, huge square – The Venetian Macao ranks second, behind only the WinStar World Casino and Resort, in Oklahoma, on the list of the largest casinos in the world.

The sprawling casino floor offers over 800 gaming tables offering, with one or two exceptions, every conceivable table game, plus others, such as Sands stud poker and banking three card baccarat – erroneously advertised as three card poker in some cases – which are not available elsewhere. Slot machines, many of which will be familiar to foreign visitors, although some less so, number over 2,000, with stakes ranging between $0.02 and $100, although typically $1 or less.