A casino is a place where people can gamble and enjoy other entertainment activities. The majority of the revenue that casinos make, however, comes from gambling games of chance such as slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and keno. Casinos may have musical shows, lighted fountains and lavish hotels, but they don’t exist without these games of chance.
While some casino games require a high degree of skill, most are pure chance and designed to give the house a constant profit. A casino’s built-in advantage is known as the “house edge.”
Gambling has been around for millennia and can be traced back to 2300 BC China, when wooden blocks were found used in betting games. Dice appeared in 500 BC, and card games came later. Modern casinos are heavily guarded against cheating, stealing and scamming. Security starts on the casino floor, where dealers watch over their tables with a laser focus, spotting blatant palming or marking of cards. Pit bosses and table managers have a broader view, watching for betting patterns that indicate players are trying to cheat.
Casinos also focus on customer service, providing complimentary items (also known as “comps”) to big spenders. In Las Vegas, these perks can include free hotel rooms and meals, show tickets and even limo service. Several studies, however, have shown that the economic benefit of casinos is offset by the cost of treating compulsive gambling addiction and lost productivity from those who are addicted.