A Casino is a place where games of chance are played, and where gambling is the primary activity. Various luxuries can be added to this basic definition, such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows, but any place that offers a variety of games for money is technically a Casino.
A casino’s success is largely dependent on its ability to lure people into spending their hard-earned cash. Casinos try to maximize their profits by offering a wide range of casino perks, including reduced-fare transportation and hotel rooms, free food and drinks, and even comped show tickets.
The casino industry also spends heavily on security measures. Casino employees are trained to spot blatant cheating, such as palming cards or marking dice, and each person on the floor has a supervisor keeping an eye on his work and noting any suspicious betting patterns. Video cameras monitor the gaming area and casinos routinely use computers to check each game’s results. Statistical deviations are quickly discovered by these computer programs.
Despite their efforts, however, casinos cannot eliminate the house edge. Every game has a built-in advantage for the casino, and over time this can add up to a large profit. The casinos use this income to support lavish hotels, fountains, pyramids, towers and replicas of famous landmarks. Despite the illusion of excitement and glamour, a Casino is simply a business that makes money by taking bets from people who lose their money.