A casino is a place where people come to play games of chance. Although casinos offer many other activities, such as restaurants, stage shows and dramatic scenery, the vast majority of their profits come from gambling. Slot machines, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat are the most popular casino games.
Gambling almost certainly predates written history, with primitive protodice (cut knuckle bones) and even carved six-sided dice turning up in ancient archaeological sites [Source: Schwartz]. The modern casino adds many luxuries to help attract patrons, such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows. But the basic casino concept – offering a variety of ways to gamble under one roof – has always been popular.
Something about the atmosphere of a casino encourages cheating and other forms of unethical behavior, which is why casinos spend so much money on security. There are specialized departments that patrol the casino floor and monitor the “eye-in-the-sky” closed circuit television system. Casino security personnel also look for patterns in the game play of individual patrons; the way they sit, shuffle cards and react to the results of the games all follow familiar routines that are easy for security people to spot.
While most patrons are honest, a significant minority are compulsive gamblers who generate a disproportionate share of the casino’s profits. Critics argue that these gambling addicts drain local resources, and that the cost of treating them offsets any economic gains casinos may bring to a city or region.