10. MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, USA

For years a landmark on the Las Vegas skyline, the casino at MGM Grand is a storied gambling den, attracting hardened dollar spinners and curious newbies alike. It’s well-known for poker, and has the usual range of game tables and slot machines. But what keeps many of its regulars coming back for more is a lively area dedicated to sports betting, with state-of-the-art facilities including 60 plasma televisions. Here you can flick a few coins on American football, boxing, martial arts and soccer, all while enjoying drinks and snacks from the well-stocked bar.

Also see Hopper’s picks for the best casinos in Las Vegas for serious gamblers to see some less-famous LV casinos

9. Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Atlantic City, USA

Glamor and kitsch are never too far apart, and they come together in a riotous explosion of stone elephants, twisting minarets, glistening chandeliers and pointed domes at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. This experiment in eastern grandeur was conceived by that great gambler of the financial markets, Donald Trump, and at its heart you’ll find a fabulously opulent casino. Play a few rounds in the smoke-free poker room or, if you’re feeling lucky, join the fat cats in the exclusive high limit gaming salon, before filling up at the resort’s Hard Rock Café.

8. Foxwoods Resort Casino, Connecticut, USA

Foxwoods is a huge resort, encompassing 38 restaurants, two golf courses and an enclave of exclusive villas with private butler service. But it is best known for its vast casino, the second biggest in America, which is owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The casino’s 350,000 feet of gambling space contain 380 gaming tables, 6300 slot machines, and a cavernous bingo hall that can accommodate up to 5000 players.

7. Sun City, Rustenberg, South Africa

Photo by Jorge in Brazil/Flickr.

Sun City is among South Africa’s most extravagant resorts, and spearheading the decadence is its opulent casino. Games include poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat, and there’s a Salon Privé where, so long as you look the part and have a few hundreds to slap on the table, you can play high-stakes games in atmospheric privacy. For beginners, there’s an excellent gaming school with lessons on technique and, just as importantly, casino etiquette. Alongside the casino the resort offers a water park for the kids, golf courses, and trips into the neighboring Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

6. Grand Lisboa Casino, Macau, China

Even among the glittering cityscape of Macau, east Asia’s version of Vegas, the Grand Lisboa stands out: it’s the city’s tallest building, crowned with the largest LED dome in the world, made up of over a million LED lights. Inside, the casino lives up to this surface decadence, with 800 gaming tables and 1000 slot machines spread across several large and fabulously decorated floors. As the gaming unfolds, regular shows are put on at the main bar, so there’s also entertainment for those averse to a flutter.

5. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Photo by danheap77/Flickr.

This luxurious casino is situated in the middle of a shopping mall, so you can slip out and spend your winnings on whatever you desire straight away. It’s not quite the biggest casino in trade-rich Singapore, but it is by far the most sophisticated, with 600 gaming tables and 1500 slot machines arrayed among the elegant furnishings and stylish decor. Tourists can enter for free but, as residents must pay $100 for the privilege, remember to bring your passport to prove you’re not a local.

4. Casino Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany

Photo by OliverN5/Flickr.

The elegant town of Baden-Baden, nestled in the heart of Germany’s black forest, first became a playground for wealthy Europeans 150 years ago, drawing royalty and aristocracy from across the continent. These days its visitors are more diverse, and many of them come to sample the thrills of the town’s casino, which is among the most extravagantly outfitted on this list. Inspired by the baroque flourishes of the Palace of Versailles, German actress Marlene Dietrich declared it the most beautiful casino in the world. This elegance continues in the casino’s red-and-gold poker rooms, and around its plethora of blackjack and roulette tables.

3. Monte Carlo Casino, Monte Carlo, Monaco

If Baden-Baden was the destination of choice for nineteenth century aristocrats, today’s equivalents – high-flying accountants, lawyers and CEOs – make their way to Monte Carlo. You’ll have to shed the shorts and, disregarding the heat, slip into something more elegant – but don’t worry, the air conditioning is perfectly adjusted within the fabled casino itself. Recently celebrating its 150th birthday, this casino oozes charm and class, and offers great variety of games – there’s Chemin de Fer and Trente & Quarante as well as poker, roulette and blackjack. Super high-rollers and celebs can slip away in to the casino’s beautifully-outfitted salons privés and, once you’ve had your gambling thrills, the beautiful town of Monaco lays its restaurants and walkways at your feet.

2. The Venetian Macao, China

Although originally modeled on the Venetian complex in Vegas, this Macau resort easily its own inspiration, and has become a global gambling mecca. With 530,000 square feet containing 800 gaming tables and 3400 slot machines, it’s the largest casino on earth. And it’s not just about size: grand on the outside, the casino is intricately gorgeous within, the gaming divided between four lush themed areas. The resort even has its own canal system, the San Luca, where guests can take gondola rides through this imaginary Venice flung out on the South China Sea.

1. Bellagio, Las Vegas, USA

Designed by legendary casino specialist Steve Wynn and built at a cost of $88 million, the Bellagio is justly among the world’s most famous casinos, featured in Hollywood moves such as Ocean’s 11 and 21. In terms of gaming, the Bellagio is best known for its top-end poker rooms with sky-high table limits, which regularly host World Poker Tour events. But there’s plenty of other gambling to be had, with 2000 slot machines paying out jackpots as high as $2 million. Surrounding all this high-rolling gaming is an opulent resort complete with eight-acre lake, exclusive fashion stores, and the world-famous dancing fountains.

Primitive x 2pac– Primitive Skateboarding

Walking into the show, we’re greeted by the man himself—Lance Mountain

Let’s go straight to the goods—starting with an old Variflex banner that hosts some heavy autographs from over the years

And the close-up

The scope of his work knows no bounds

Audiences were locked in

Omar Salazar, Steve Olson and Buddy Nichols had to roll up

Look familiar?

Old T-shirts and photographs of a young skate rat

Said skate rat

British invasion? He was there

Airs, inverts, world tours and young fatherhood, Lance did it all

Use the mag as a pointer, sure

Obsessed much?

Nasty Neck in effect

Cleared for take off indeed

Did you rep the royal crest?

Arto and the next gen caught up with Jon Humphries

Black Label crew: Eric Nash, Oliver Grosso, John Lucero and Riky Barnes

The greats were everywhere—Heath Kirchart and Salman Agah

Cab’s hair extensions, 1987

Study the form

The sample of photos was stunning, like Salba watching his favorite park get demolished

And The Gonz’ timeless frontside ollie

Jeremy Henderson tapping in from the past

Still searchin’

We got legendary photographer Steve Keenan, his daughter and Eddie Elguera

Tristan Rennie and company celebrated his birthday at Lance’s show. HBD, to you too!

The beacon that never fades

Jeremy Klein, Jim Muir, Lance and Dan Rogers

Lance knew ‘em all

JFA’s Brian Brannon and Toy Machine’s newest pro Geoff Rowley came through

Worth its weight in gold—coping block from Concrete Wave skatepark, 1977

Terrill, Cholo, Charlie and Partanen

The Taylor and Janoski families are big Lance fans. But you already knew that. Right, Ant?

Can’t Stop The Firm!

We got Tanner Burzinski and Eric Koston

Sean Mortimer and Mike Carroll, too

Absolutely stacked squad: Howard Hood, Lonny Hiramoto, Lance, Christian and Pops Hosoi

Jack Olson and Tim Fulton brought a Deluxe delivery for the birthday boy

Hope he got the first piece!

Alright, last lap

Pat Ngoho and his gal Karen Richard made it

You knew Heavy Metal Chuck wouldn’t miss this one!

Lance drew this in 1983 in the very same Hause Nicole lives in today. Small world

SLAP Magazine’s Lance Dawes and Daniel Castillo

Five hundred bucks for the original? Not bad

Welllllll, we’re back with Chris Roberts and photographer Alyssa Davis

Sometimes it feels like that

He’s worked with the GOATs of every generation

See?

Epic stuff on every wall

Lance and famous graffiti artist known as Chaka, who used to skate the ramp at the Mountain Manor

Last order of business: Chaka signing the Variflex banner

Lance has taken his fair share of slams and it’s rad to see him still out there ripping at 60 years old. Thanks for making skateboarding fun and exciting over all these years! Stoked to see what’s next!

There have been a few significant plot twists already happen in 2024 so far and Freddy Gall rejoining the iPath team is certainly one of them. Actually, the fact that iPath is making a comeback—just in general—is at least worth a conversation, right? Either way, Fred is back on iPath and it sounds like things will be heating up a little more this summer because of it. 

Regardless of your age (or when you started skating), chances are you probably remember iPath as one of the most unique skate shoe companies during the late 90s/early 2000s. The Cats speak for themselves. 

Between their distinctive designs and eclectic team, iPath always did things their own way. They were sort of ahead of their time, in all honesty. Although… they definitely had their time nonetheless. But hey, they’re back making bold moves and I’m here for it. Personally, I can’t wait to see what else they have in store.

As the caption mentions, “Black suede Cats and all your favorites available late summer ‘24.” History does in fact repeat itself pretty often, huh? What a time to be alive. Congrats to Fred on his homecoming. The main question is—who’s going to cop a pair?

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#CANONFIRSTS

All summer, we’ve been asking you to tag your best action, outdoor, and adventure photographs on Instagram with #CanonFirsts. And literally thousands of you have entered. Almost 4,000 of you, in fact.

From incredible landscapes, blistering mountain bike shots, dreamy snowboard photographs, gritty skateboard snaps and everything in between, we’ve been blown away by the creativity, the action, and the standard of the entries over the last six weeks.

THE PRIZESAlong with Canon, we’ve created two incredible prize bundles that the two lucky winners, as selected by Editors from the Factory Media network, will get their hands on.

1st Prize

Canon EOS M50 with kit lens EF-M 15-45mm IS STM – a new 4K mirrorless camera
EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens
EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens
Camera messenger bag

2nd Prize

Canon EOS 800D with kit lens EF-S 18-55 mm f/4-5.6 IS STM – a sophisticated DSLR that’s easy to use
EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens
EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
Camera messenger bag

THE FINALISTS AND WINNERS

The judges have had the tough task of sorting through the near 4,000 photographs you tagged #CanonFirsts. Since the competition closed a few days ago, the editors of the biggest action, outdoor, and adventure publications have been locked away, deliberating and cogitating about who the two lucky winners of the two fantastic prizes on offer should be.

There have been tantrums, arguments, and sleepless nights here at Factory Media Towers but, at last, we’ve whittled our favourites down to eleven (representing all of the areas Factory Media cover). But, of course, only the top two places will walk away with a whole heap of new camera gear, courtesy of Canon.

So without further ado, and in time-honoured reverse order, here are your #CanonFirst finalists and two winners.(In no particular order, other than the final two)

11) BMX Talk

Traditionally, BMX Racing is a series of races consisting of 8 riders battling away, banging both bars and elbows trying to get to that number one spot. The adrenalin, the speed, the rush, and the thrill of getting across the finish line first ahead of your competitors is second to none. But every now and again, the thought of being out on the track doing your own thing on a purely solo mission is great (and much needed). The only competition being yourself and the only winner being the feeling of going fast and sending big jumps. Blue skies, a fresh track and me, myself and I.BMX Talk

10) Mpora

We had more images to chose from than any other title, so narrowing it down was no easy task. However, this climbing shot from Claire Clifton really stood out. Not only is it technically a beautifully composted photo – the climber sits beautifully in that golden ratio, framed perfectly be the rock above and the mountain below – but, like all good photographs it makes you ask questions; Where have they been? Where are they going? What’s captures the climbers attention beneath? Yet, at the same time, it gives you context and a story, all captured in a single shot.James Renhard – Mpora Editorial Team

9) Dirt (Image Two)

A big vista but not in the way you’d expect from a mountain bike shot. The disused Blackpool Pit quarry is an industrial scar, far from the usual high mountains and woods of mountain bike photography. It’s great to see action sports transported to new and unusual environments and Jake Varker has one a great job of capturing it.The contrast of light and dark splits the photo in two and draws attention to the silhouetted rider. It’s a big, burly line with no clear run out, fair play to Mawgan Pownall for committing!James Smurthwaite – Dirt Editor

8) Total Women’s Cycling

This epitomises what cycling means to us, and what it can bring to anyone. The sense of adventure starts when you take the first few pedal spins from your doorstep, then, from there, the adventure never ends. The humble bike can take you around the world, both metaphorically and physically, and by the looks of it, Catherine has let it do just that. I want to be transported into this image, to see what’s around that corner.Total Women’s Cycling

7) Outdoors Magic

We’re all used to those shots of the Northern Lights over Iceland, Norway or Sweden, but North Wales? You don’t see that very often. In one shot, Grant has managed to capture just how incredible Snowdonia is for its night skies – showing exactly why it was designated as an International Dark Sky Reserve in recent years. It’s clear Grant worked for this shot as well, in both a technical sense and in a physical one. Getting up to where he took it, on the tops of the Glyderau, is no walk in the park, that’s for sure.Will Renwick – Outdoors Magic Editor

6) Road Cycling UK

While we may all dream of conquering sun-drenched mountain passes, this shot by Tobias King captures the flip-side and what is ultimately the reality for UK cyclists for much of the year. Tobias has captured the dedication of the rider perfectly against the backdrop of a stormy sky that looks set to burst at any moment. Despite the leaden sky, there’s a tranquility to the shot, too – a lone rider happily ticking off the miles, despite Mother Nature saying otherwise. Chapeau, Tobias!George Scott – Road Cycling UK Editor

5) CoolerThere are few experiences in surfing as blissful as sitting in the line up on a summer night, in front of the setting sun. This dreamy shot transports you right into that moment of calm. The soft pink light reflects off the water’s surface, making it seem as though it could continue endlessly into the sky, while a single streak of light across the waves draws your eye towards the anonymous local surfers in the horizon. You feel as though you could paddle out into the frame and towards those silhouettes, to join their moment of tranquility.Lou Boyd – Cooler Lifestyle

4) Sidewalk & Kingpin

First off, look at the shapes in this one! Body position, the arms, and the tip toe control on the front foot – banging. And it absolutely sums up the potential treachery in that old ledge mainstay the backlip. Spot-wise Josh is onto a winner here too – if there’s one constant in skate photography (as far as spots, architecture, and backdrops go at least) it’s circles. Black and white too – extra points: gives the sky a sense of foreboding (probably justified as it no doubt pissed down five minutes later) along with the contrast on the stone making the scene look like it could be anywhere from ancient Athens to Newcastle. Finally, you can’t front on a backside lipslide – especially not if it’s gapped out to like this – and it’s in The Toon.Ben Powell – Sidewalk Editor

3) Ride UK BMX

This photo is immediately striking. An amazing spot, solid riding, great composition. Kelvin Waterman is an excellent rider and lives for the adventure of finding new spots to ride – just like these crazy brick transitions under a bridge in the south of England. Kelvin’s doing a grand job here, those transitions are TIGHT! The repetitive pattern of the bricks and curves draws you right in, seeing Kelvin roasting up there on the vert and then onwards, further into the frame to admire the entire brick structure. Although the choice of black and white and those strong patterns give it a very graphic, almost flat quality, the depth shines through and that’s what makes it such an appealing image to look at. Hats off to Gavin Ripton for capturing this one!Robin Pearson – Ride UK BMX Editor in Chief

SECOND PLACE, AND TAKING AWAY A CANON PRIZE BUNDLE – SURF EUROPE

Love this shot by Rob Caddy of a winter warrior running out for a dip in the icy North Sea brine, for lots of reasons. The soft wintry light, the clean empty peak textured with a little bit of speed blur promising endless opportunities… and most of all the fact that our man in rubber looks like he’s all alone with his thoughts. A great capture of the essence of the lure of the sea.Paul Evans – Surf Europe Editor in Chief

FIRST PLACE, AND TAKING AWAY THE WINNING CANON PRIZE BUNDLE – WHITELINES & ONBOARD

Saas-Fee is one of the first European snow parks to get going each winter and – with jagged peaks and glaciated terrain all around – it’s a great spot for shooting snowboarding. Scotty has gone for an unusual angle here, donning a fisheye and getting right into the action, but still capturing some of that insane scenery that Saas is all about.Sam McMahon – Photographer and Video Editor Whitelines & Onboard

Thank you to everybody who entered the competition. Congratulations to all of our top pics, and of course to our two fantastic winners.

#CANONFIRSTS

What’s your next first? Visit Canon and find out how they can help bring your first to life.They currently have great cashback offers on so don’t miss out!

You really can create a skateboard graphic out of anything! Wayne “OT” (OurThings Custom), designed this Featured Deck, Jesus In the Garden, on repurposed priority mail labels. “It is mixed media with Coptic markers, black pencil, metallic ink, gold leaf, actual rosary medallions, Swarovski crystals, metal flakes, [and] six coats of gloss… [It’s a] modern take on [a] biblical story. I was sick of skating off-the-shelf boards and started creating my own designs. Most are not designs you would grind a pool with, but pop on the walls of my casa. I have hundreds of original decks and decided to share them with others so they can enjoy.”

You can also create a skateboard graphic anywhere… “This board was created in the front seat of my pickup truck and [seedy] motels. All my artwork is created on the road in… motels or in my pickup, it’s a total release from my day job and totally refreshes my soul.”

Head to BoardPusher.com/ourthingcustoms to purchase Jesus In the Garden, or any of Wayne’s skateboard graphics, including 3-deck series, and follow him on Instagram @deagonfrost.

If you can design it, we can help you make it a custom skateboard graphic at BoardPusher.com. Follow us @boardpusher to see how others are creating their own skateboards.

NASA has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX permission to destroy the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030.

The space station has been continually occupied since 2000 by astronauts doing more than 3,300 scientific experiments above our heads.

But the countries operating the ISS only agreed to run it until 2030 at the latest.

Since 1998, the US, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada have maintained different sections of the ISS. The agreements to jointly run the space station marked a new era of global cooperation after the Cold War.

But when those agreements run out, the space station will need to be brought out of orbit and Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been given the $843m (£666.4m) contract to do it.

The company will build a vehicle to tow the space station through the atmosphere where it will “destructively break up”, according to NASA.

Crash landing

It will then crash into the ocean, away from populated areas, along with the SpaceX vehicle.

“The orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all,” said Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate.

While SpaceX will develop the deorbit spacecraft, NASA will take ownership after development and operate it throughout its mission.

Read more from Sky News:‘Miracle’ Parkinson’s treatment ends tremorsHuge streamer admits to ‘inappropriate’ messages to minorHow to opt out of your Instagram posts being fed into AI

But once the ISS is destroyed, low-orbit will not lie empty.

Private companies including SpaceX, Axiom, Blue Origin and Vast are developing commercial space stations that could launch as soon as next year.

“[Selecting the deorbit vehicle] supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth,” said Mr Bowersox.

The ISS costs the various space agencies €100bn (£84.6bn) to run, according to the European Space Agency, over 30 years.

NASA said the agency is transitioning to “commercially owned space destinations closer to home”.

Astronauts on the International Space Station were forced to take shelter last night after a Russian satellite broke into more than 100 pieces.

The nine astronauts living on the space station were told to shelter in their respective spacecraft, according to NASA, after the debris was spotted.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams boarded their Starliner spacecraft, the Boeing-built capsule that has been docked since June 6 in its first crewed test mission on the station.

Read more: Why two NASA astronauts are stuck in space

Three of the other US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut went into SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule that flew them to the station in March.

The sixth US astronaut joined the two remaining cosmonauts in their Russian Soyuz capsule that ferried them there in September last year.

The astronauts emerged from their spacecraft roughly an hour later and resumed their normal work on the station, NASA said.

Russian missile theory

There were no immediate details on what caused the break-up of the Russian Earth observation satellite, which was declared dead in 2022.

Read more from Sky News:Famous streamer admits to ‘inappropriate’ messages to minorSpaceX given permission to destroy the International Space StationMicrobes cling to ISS – here’s why astronauts are trying to collect them

Experts thought it was unlikely Russia shot it down with a ground-based anti-satellite missile.

“I find it hard to believe they would use such a big satellite as an ASAT target,” said Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell. “But, with the Russians these days, who knows?”

Russia sparked strong criticism in 2021 when it struck one of its defunct satellites in orbit with a missile launched from its Plesetsk rocket site.

The blast, testing a weapon system ahead of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, created thousands of pieces of orbital debris.

Mr McDowell and other analysts speculated the break-up could have been caused by a problem with the satellite, such as leftover fuel on board causing an explosion.

US Space Command, tracking the debris swarm, said there was no immediate threat to other satellites.