Casino. "It all began in early 17th century Venice, a powerful yet dirty and foul-smelling city," writes Marc Baumann, CEO of Swiss Casinos. Due to their size, they were referred to as casinos, small houses. They served as changing rooms for the nobility on their way into the city. They were also perfect as love nests and places of socializing outside the palaces. The writer Giacomo Casanova, known as a womanizer, even lived in one of these casinos for a time. Jumping to the 20th century, the first hotel-casino, El Rancho Vegas, opened in 1941, followed by the legendary Flamingo. Why in the Nevada desert? With the Hoover Dam, electricity suddenly became available. The Mafia from Chicago and Miami needed to launder their illegally earned money. They were happy to lose it in the casinos they owned. In Switzerland, gambling began with gaming salons in the 1980s. It wasn't until later that it became legal, and in 2002, the first casinos opened their doors. However, there is a serious problem: gambling addiction. Players are thrilled when they win, but some cannot stop when they lose because they want to recoup their losses. The result: debt. This affects many families. We address this issue in this edition—alongside the history of casinos, for example, with a situational report from Monte Carlo in 1902. People seek entertainment, want to play, want to meet other gamblers, players, con artists, snobs, both false and genuine nobility, and want to feel a bit like James Bond. In the casino, all of this is possible.