What Is a Casino?
A casino is a place where gambling activities are carried out and, in many cases, a hotel or resort is attached. There are many different types of casinos, from the glamorous Las Vegas Strip mega-hotels and shopping centers to the illegal pai gow parlors and dice tables of New York’s Chinatown. Although the modern casino may be a combination of many things, including musical shows, lighted fountains and gourmet restaurants, it would not exist without games of chance. Whether it’s blackjack, roulette, craps or keno, these games provide the billions of dollars in profits that drive casinos.
Casinos earn their money primarily by taking advantage of the fact that no matter how much a patron wins or loses, the house is guaranteed to come out ahead over time. Each game has a built-in mathematical edge for the casino, and this advantage, though small, adds up over millions of bets. These earnings allow casinos to build hotels with giant pyramids, towers and replicas of famous landmarks and even afford to pay their employees well above the minimum wage.
There are also the high rollers, who make the bulk of a casino’s profit, and these gamblers are courted with free or discounted luxury accommodations and services, such as limousines and buffet meals. The most upscale casinos are often located in Asia, where Macau is frequently referred to as the “Vegas of the East” for its over-the-top gambling offerings and the Grand Lisboa hotel, which features a restaurant that holds three Michelin stars and a wine list that has been awarded the “Grand Award.”
As with any business, there is always the potential for patrons to cheat or steal, either in collusion with other patrons or on their own. To combat this, most casinos use a variety of security measures. Security cameras are commonly found throughout the premises and are monitored by security staff in a control room. Additionally, most casinos have employees who are trained to spot telltale signs of cheating, such as palming or marking cards or dice.
In addition to these security measures, most casinos have strict rules about smoking and the possession of firearms, and patrons are required to wear appropriate clothing, such as long pants and closed-toed shoes. The vast amounts of currency that pass through casinos also pose a risk, and theft is a concern. Casinos are constantly on the lookout for suspicious behavior and, in some cases, have a full-time police force to patrol their facilities and keep patrons safe. These police officers can be armed, but they are also trained to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations by focusing on the suspect’s behavior and using non-lethal weapons when necessary. This is an important component of casino security and helps keep the casino in the black.
