A casino is a place where people gamble and play games of chance. Although luxuries such as stage shows, free drinks and shopping centers help draw in customers, casinos would not exist without gambling, which accounts for the billions of dollars in profits raked in by casinos every year. Casinos range in size from massive resorts to small card rooms. Slot machines, blackjack, poker and roulette are among the most popular casino games.
In the past, some casinos were run by organized crime gangsters. Mob money flowed steadily into Reno and Las Vegas, and mob members took sole or partial ownership of the casinos they funded. With federal crackdowns and the risk of losing a casino license at even the slightest hint of mob involvement, legitimate businessmen now fund most of the world’s casinos.
Casinos rely on gambling as their main source of income, and their main source of revenue is the high roller, who gambles big amounts of money at a time. Such gamblers are the most profitable patrons, and casinos often offer them special rooms or floors, as well as complimentary meals, hotel suites and other perks. In addition, they pay more in taxes and fees than other patrons.
As a result, many casino employees are focused on cultivating such patrons and keeping them happy. In the early 1990s, casinos dramatically increased their use of technology to monitor their patrons and games. For instance, “chip tracking” allows casinos to monitor bets minute-by-minute, and electronic systems alert them to any statistical deviation from expected results. Computers also monitor the activity of each slot machine, and the payouts are determined randomly by a program inside the machine.
Gambling almost certainly predates recorded history, with primitive protodice and carved six-sided dice appearing in archaeological sites. But it was not until the 16th century that people started gathering under one roof to find a variety of ways to gamble. The first casinos were called ridotti, and they appealed to the aristocracy in Europe who wanted to avoid being bothered by legal authorities.