A casino is a building that houses a variety of gambling activities. While casinos offer other entertainment such as musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers, the bulk of their profits come from gambling games like slot machines, blackjack, poker, roulette and craps. These games are what give the casino its “seamy image” and what attracts organized crime figures to run their own gambling operations.
While security in a casino is largely an issue of making sure that people don’t cheat or steal, it has become more subtle as the industry has evolved. For example, dealers in a table game have a much broader view of the table and can see more easily when someone is palming cards or marking or switching dice. And modern casinos are wired so that betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that connects to a computer system, allowing the casino to oversee exactly how much money is being wagered minute by minute and be warned of statistical deviations immediately.
In addition to these technological advances, many casinos have begun to use comps and other incentive programs to attract high rollers who spend tens of thousands of dollars at a time and often in separate rooms from the general gambling floor. These rewards can be worth a lot more than the amount of money that the gambler wins, and help the casino maximize its profit potential. Some casinos even offer free rooms and luxury suites to high rollers.