Winner. “This was taken in the South Ari Atolls, Maldives, as the south-west monsoon season was setting in. It features my partner – and dive buddy – Emma after surfacing at the end of the last dive of the day to find 1.5 metre swells and dark monsoon clouds. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: This beautiful portrait of a diver in an ocean swell below a menacing sky stands out this month for its emotional and elemental beauty. It is a reminder that while we may play among nature we are always dwarfed by its power and must be constantly on our guard”. (Photo by Simon Dunn/The Guardian)

Breath of an Arctic fox by Marco Gaiotti, Italy. Marco was watching this little Arctic fox as it incessantly called another nearby. Gradually he noticed the fox’s wet breath was quickly freezing in the air after each call. It was late winter in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and the air was -35C (-31F). Photographing Arctic foxes is often frustrating, as they are normally running around fast in search of food, but this one was very relaxed and let Marco get close enough to focus on it, with the light glowing perfectly in the background. (Photo by Marco Gaiotti/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021)

A woman carries an umbrella as she walks along a street during snowfall in the Iranian capital Tehran, on February 12, 2023. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)

J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks scores a goal on Alex Nedeljkovic #39 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of their NHL game at Rogers Arena on October 26, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

For a long time the laws of Canada have explicitly banned gambling in any form. This may be the reason why the country does not have so many gambling establishments as the USA - but their quality surely makes up for the quantity. The first Canadian casino was opened in Dawson City, Yukon, in 1972 - it was the first one after gambling has been banned in the country in 1892. The Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Casino did not operate for long, though. The first permanent commercial casino was opened in 1989, and it was the first of many - there are currently 75 casinos operating on Canadian soil.

A visitor walks on a giant chalk artwork called “Wasting Time” at the Chalk Urban Arts Festival in Sydney on October 25, 2014. The picture is the biggest 3-D artwork created in Australia by two artists, Leon Keer from Holland and Jenny McCracken from Australia. (Photo by Peter Parks/AFP Photo)

Burlesque dancer and Lucha VaVoom co-founder Rita D'Albert gets dressed before the Lucha VaVoom “Night of the Vampire” performance in Los Angeles, California October 29, 2014. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

People walk through crop circles in a cornfield near Raisting, Germany, on July 28, 2014. According to media reports, a balloonist had discovered the circle some days ago. Since then, hundreds of people came to the field to watch it, however it is unclear who did create the pattern. (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/DPA)