A casino is a place where people can gamble and enjoy entertainment. These establishments are popular all over the world and offer a wide variety of games for players to enjoy. From Las Vegas to Monaco, read on to find out more about the history of casinos, how they make money and more.
Modern casinos are like indoor amusement parks for adults, but the vast majority of their entertainment (and profits for their owners) comes from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and other games of chance provide the billions of dollars in revenue that casinos bring in every year. In addition to the excitement of playing games, casinos offer other forms of entertainment like live music, lavish restaurants and top-notch hotels.
Casinos are not immune to the lure of crime, however. Mobsters once controlled many of them, but they are now owned by real estate developers and hotel chains with deep pockets that can afford to weed out mob involvement. Federal crackdowns on organized crime and the threat of losing a gaming license at the slightest hint of Mafia ties keep most casino businesses away from organized criminal activity.
Given the large amounts of cash handled inside a casino, security is a priority. The most obvious form of protection is a multitude of security cameras located throughout the premises. There are also other, less obvious ways that casinos protect their patrons. For example, dealers at table games are heavily trained to notice blatant cheating and stealing, such as palming cards or marking dice. In addition, the patterns and routines of game play at each table usually give security a clue that something is wrong.