The word casino is used to describe a place where people gamble on games of chance or skill. The games themselves vary, but most have built-in advantages for the house that make sure it wins in the long run. This advantage, which can be expressed mathematically as the house edge, is what makes gambling profitable for casinos. Casinos range from massive resorts to small card rooms. In addition to gambling, they often offer hotels, restaurants, non-gambling game rooms, bars and swimming pools. They also take a percentage of the winnings of players. They are businesses that earn billions in profits for their owners, investors and corporations. Local governments also reap taxes and fees from them.
Unlike lottery games and Internet gambling, which are purely mechanical, casino gambling is social. The gambling rooms are designed around noise, light and excitement. People shout encouragement to their opponents and waiters circulate with alcoholic drinks. The bright and sometimes gaudy colors of the room are meant to stimulate the senses and create a mood of excitement and anticipation.
Something about gambling (probably the presence of large sums of money) seems to encourage some people to cheat or steal in order to beat the house. For this reason, casinos spend a great deal of time and effort on security. A physical security force patrols the casino floor and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance department operates the casino’s closed circuit television system, which is known as “the eye in the sky.” In addition to these technological measures, casinos enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior; for example, all players at table games must keep their cards visible at all times.
