A casino is a place where people play games of chance for money. It may add a lot of other things to the gambling experience, like restaurants, free drinks and stage shows, but it is still a place where gambling happens. People who go to casinos can usually gamble in several different ways, but the most popular is playing blackjack.
Whether the casino is the glittering Las Vegas strip or the illegal pai gow parlor in New York’s Chinatown, about 51 million Americans visited a casino in 2002. That figure does not include the many millions who went to casinos outside of the United States, where casino tourism is growing quickly.
The casino industry uses a lot of technology to help keep the games fair for customers. For example, chip tracking enables casinos to watch the amounts being wagered minute by minute; roulette wheels are electronically monitored to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results. Many casinos also have video cameras in customer areas to monitor the behavior of customers.
While casinos often give away free goods or services to “good” players, it is important to remember that they make much of their profits from high-stakes gamblers. These people gamble in special rooms that are separated from the main casino floor and can place bets worth tens of thousands of dollars. These high rollers are given comps that can include free hotel rooms, meals and tickets to shows.
