AROUND THE WORLD

The list of casinos is long and growing constantly. What you. find here are brief descriptions of some of the better-known more established places to play Blackjack.

Britain

The gambling industry here is strictly controlled by the British Gaming Board. The philosophy of the board seems to be to pro-11tect the players from themselves. Therefore, no irresistible temp-°tations are offered, and some strange restrictions are imposed. ~There is no advertising, no entertainment, no drinking, no credit, [no tipping, no shills (house players), few slot machines, and re hours (from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M.).

The odds are "strictly set so that the house advantage is precisely known. The [standard plays at Blackjack are displayed at every table, and af player who needs it may ask the official controlling the game for ' help. Imagine asking a Las Vegas pit boss for help! I'd sooner in-vite a pickpocket to my wedding.

In addition, a so-called forty-eight-hour rule is imposed so that no one can walk in off the street and play. You must first join a ~ licensed club and state your "intention to play." The cost to join ' is about twenty-five dollars. After forty-eight hours, you may then ;; gamble. If you are from the United States, you may want to write to obtain forms in advance or ask your travel agent for them so that you can play on arrival.

The only exception to this delay is when you are introduced by a current member who is on the ; premises. You can then play at once.There are numerous small clubs and several large ones. Table limits at the small clubs are normally about fifty dollars. Some of the large clubs you may wish to visit are the Curzon House Club, Crockford's Club, Palm Beach Casino Club, International Sport-sing Club, and Victoria Sporting Club.

Minimum bets range from ' one to five pounds, maximums from fifty pounds to two hundred pounds. The way the dollar has been going down, I'm afraid to tell you what the top limit is worth these days. Maximums used to be worth about five hundred dollars at the larger clubs.