A casino is a place where people play gambling games. In addition to the games of chance, casinos feature shows and other entertainment. They also serve food and beverages. Casinos can be found in Las Vegas, Macau, Monaco and other places around the world.
Something about the presence of large sums of money seems to encourage cheating, stealing and other forms of crime in many casinos. As a result, modern casinos spend enormous amounts of money on security. This is largely in the form of physical security forces and a specialized surveillance department that runs the casino’s closed circuit television system, known as an eye-in-the-sky.
While dazzling fountains, shopping centers and luxurious hotels may draw in the masses, casinos would not exist without games of chance like blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, baccarat, and slot machines. These games provide the mathematical expectation of winning that gives the house a built-in profit on each bet. This profit margin can be very small but adds up over the billions of dollars a year that casinos rake in from patrons. Because of this virtual assurance of gross profit, casinos reward big bettors with free spectacular entertainment, elegant living quarters, transportation and other inducements. Smaller bettors are often given free hotel rooms and food, drinks and cigarettes while gambling. Some casinos even offer free limo service and airline tickets to entice high bettors. These incentives are called comps.