Casino is a place where gamblers risk their money against the house. The name is derived from the Italian word casona, meaning “cloister.” It was originally used to refer to a small country clubhouse for Italians who wanted to socialize and gamble but could not do so in public.
Every game offered by a casino has a built-in advantage for the house that can be as low as two percent or as high as ten percent. This is why casinos are able to turn over massive amounts of revenue. This virtual assurance of gross profit allows them to spend lavishly on hotels, fountains and replicas of famous pyramids, towers and other landmarks.
The casino business is very lucrative to wealthy people who can afford the high stakes and the vig. These rich patrons provide the cash that fuels the massive investment in casino attractions, including lavish hotel suites, spectacular entertainment and elegant living quarters.
Many casinos are designed to entice patrons to spend more money by using various sensory tricks. For example, a casino is often decorated in bright and sometimes gaudy colors such as red to stimulate the senses of sight and sound and encourage gamblers to continue spending. The blaring music and clanging of slot machines, and the noise of people betting and winning in table games, are also meant to attract the senses of hearing and smell.
In order to keep tabs on the casino’s finances, sophisticated surveillance systems allow security personnel to watch every table, window and doorway from a room filled with banks of screens. This eye-in-the-sky technology can be adjusted to zoom in on suspicious patrons. In addition, video tapes of casino activities are available to review after the fact to detect cheating or other violations.