A casino is a gambling establishment that offers games of chance, such as slots, roulette, blackjack, craps, keno and poker. Casinos may also offer table games that involve human croupiers, such as baccarat and pai gow poker.
Casinos are generally owned by large hotel and real estate companies that have deep pockets. They can afford to pay high commissions to gangsters who manage the casinos, but they are also willing to spend millions of dollars in advertising and promotion to lure customers away from other gambling establishments. They are often situated in beautiful locations with spectacular views, and they are staffed by attractive employees. In addition, they can offer free or reduced-fare transportation and elegant living quarters to big bettors.
Something about gambling (probably the presence of large amounts of money) seems to encourage people to cheat, steal and scam their way into a jackpot. However, the casinos are able to prevent these activities through a system of surveillance and security that is usually very effective. It is estimated that the casino industry generates billions of dollars in profits every year.
Gambling in some form has been part of most societies throughout history. Some of the earliest casinos were built in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, with others appearing in medieval Europe. Today, casino gambling is legal in many countries around the world.
While some states have banned gambling altogether, the majority allow casinos of some kind. In the United States, Nevada was the first state to legalize casino gambling in 1931, followed by New Jersey in the early 1990s. Iowa and other states have legalized riverboat casinos.
Despite their large profits, casinos do not necessarily benefit the communities where they are located. In fact, some studies indicate that casino revenue represents a shift in spending from other forms of entertainment and that the cost of treating problem gambling and lost productivity more than offset any economic gains that may occur.
Most casino security is divided between a physical security force and a specialized department that operates the casino’s closed circuit television system, or eye in the sky. The physical security force patrols the casino floor and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. The specialized surveillance department monitors casino patrons and tracks their movements using cameras, microphones and other electronic devices. The movements of casino patrons are compared to a database of normal behavior, making it relatively easy for the specialized security staff to spot anomalies.
In order to encourage patrons to gamble, casinos reward their biggest bettors with comps. These free goods or services can include show tickets, meals, hotel rooms, limo service and airline tickets. The amount of money a patron wagers and the length of time he or she plays are taken into account when rating players for comps. The most valuable casino players are referred to as “high rollers.” This is an old fashioned term for someone who can gamble a lot of money.
