Casino is the name for any place that offers gambling, whether it be a large resort in Las Vegas, an indoor amusement park with slot machines and musical shows or a small neighborhood establishment. While glitz and glamour attract tourists, the real attraction of casinos is their ability to rake in billions of dollars in profits through games of chance such as roulette, blackjack, craps and slot machines.

The History of Casinos

Gambling may have been around long before a modern casino even existed, but the concept of a casino as a gambling hall developed in Europe during the 16th century. A gambling craze swept Europe at the time and Italian aristocrats often held private parties in places called ridotti, which were basically clubs where they could gamble.

Today, casinos make most of their money from high rollers (gamblers who spend much more than average). These players receive special comps such as free luxury suites and lavish personal attention.

The Popular Games of Casinos

When a player enters a casino, he or she is greeted by a friendly host and given a map to find the casino’s games. In addition, many casinos have a security department that keeps an eye on the games and patrons to prevent cheating.

How Casinos Stay Safe

Security starts on the floor with dealers watching over their own games. This allows them to spot blatant cheating such as palming or switching cards or dice. But it also gives them a broader view to watch for betting patterns that might suggest cheating by other patrons. In addition, elaborate surveillance systems let security personnel watch the whole casino at once, change windows and doors, and record video feeds that are later uploaded to security monitors in a separate room.