A casino is a gambling establishment where games of chance are played for money or other prizes. Casinos have a reputation for adding many extras to the gambling experience to attract customers. They may offer restaurants, free drinks, stage shows and dramatic scenery.
A typical modern casino is a large building or room in which a variety of gambling activities take place. It is owned by a group or individual and operates on a licensed basis. It has a high level of security and is overseen by a gaming commission. Casinos are also sometimes referred to as gambling houses or gaming rooms.
Casinos are a business and must make a profit. All casino games have a built in advantage for the house, which can be as low as two percent, but enough over millions of bets to give the casino its edge.
To help keep this edge, casinos employ a number of surveillance systems. These include cameras in the ceiling that have a “eye in the sky” view of the casino floor and can be directed to focus on specific patrons; chips with microcircuitry that allow them to monitor betting minute by minute; and roulette wheels that are electronically monitored for statistical deviations from expected results.
Casinos are also able to make huge profits from the high rollers who spend much more than average amounts of money gambling. These customers are rewarded with comps, or complimentary goods and services, including hotel rooms, dinners, show tickets and even airline tickets if they gamble enough.
