Forget the beach, forget the mountains and forget amusement parks. When Americans want to relax on the weekend, they head to casinos.

Casinos were the No. 1 destination for Americans booking weekend trips this summer, according to a nationwide poll of 600 travel agents conducted by Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Americans also are spending more on casinos than on most other types of recreation. People racked up about $18.3 billion in losses at casinos last year, according to consulting firm

Christiansen Cummings Associates Inc. That compares to $7 billion spent on cruises, $6.3 billion for live entertainment and $6.1 billion at theme parks.