A casino is a facility where gambling activities take place. It may have a wide variety of games, restaurants and entertainment options to appeal to the most diverse audience possible. It is typically very lavish, but there have been less luxurious places that were called casinos and which would still qualify as such by modern standards.
Casinos are built on the idea that they will make more money than they spend, and that most of their profits will come from high-stakes gamblers who can afford to bet large amounts of cash. These high rollers are often offered extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, luxury accommodations and transportation. The average gambler is a forty-six year old female with a household income above the national average and a lot of disposable spending money.
Something about the presence of large sums of money encourages patrons to cheat or steal, either in collusion with others or independently, and this is one of the main reasons that most casinos have elaborate security measures. This includes everything from security cameras to specialized gambling tables that use built-in microcircuitry that allows them to monitor the exact amount of money placed on each bet minute by minute and detect any anomaly.
Most casinos are also staffed with employees who work hard to ensure that gamblers have a good time. This includes dealers who are heavily trained to spot blatant cheating such as “palming” or marking cards, and pit bosses who keep an eye on table managers for betting patterns that could indicate that someone is trying to steal chips.