A casino is a place where people can find a variety of ways to gamble under one roof. While casinos may offer a wide range of entertainment options, such as musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and elaborate hotel accommodations, they would not exist without the billions of dollars in gambling profits they rake in each year. Casinos are like indoor amusement parks for adults and provide a wide array of games of chance, including slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, keno, baccarat and poker.
While the word casino derives from a Latin phrase meaning “house of games,” there have certainly been less luxurious places that housed gambling activities, and they were still technically casinos. Typically, however, a casino adds a number of luxuries to help attract players, such as restaurants, free drinks, stage shows and dramatic scenery.
The first recorded casino was built in the 16th century, during a gambling craze that swept Europe. It was built as a place where Italian aristocrats could gather and indulge in their favorite pastime, which was gambling. The aristocrats would meet at a private club called a ridotto to gamble on everything from primitive protodice (cut knuckle bones) to carved six-sided dice.
Modern casinos use a combination of physical and specialized surveillance to keep their patrons safe. They typically employ a security force that patrols the floor, responding to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. In addition, they have a specialized surveillance department that uses closed circuit television to monitor the tables, noticing any statistical deviation from expected results. This type of technology was dramatically increased during the 1990s and can now be found in most casinos.
Aside from the many forms of gambling, most casinos also feature table games. In American casinos, these are typically baccarat, blackjack and craps. In Europe, they are mostly sic bo, although some casinos in Asia also offer traditional Far Eastern games such as fan-tan and pai gow. Occasionally, other table games of local interest are offered as well, such as two-up in Australia and boule or trente et quarante in France.
Casinos make their money by taking a percentage of all bets, which is called the vig or rake. This percentage can be very small, as low as two percent in some cases. Nevertheless, it is enough to give casinos a big enough advantage over the average player that they can afford to spend millions of dollars on hotels, lighted fountains and architectural replicas of famous towers and pyramids.
Although land-based casinos can be fun, they are not without their problems. Mob involvement is a major concern, and even the slightest hint of mob ties can cost a casino its license. Nevertheless, with the popularity of online gambling, it is unlikely that casinos will disappear anytime soon. They have a certain panache that draws in everyone from curious tourists to the snazzy high rollers dressed to impress. These glamorous establishments are meant to dazzle with their massive halls, rows of tables and glitzy ornamentation.
