A casino, or gambling house, is a facility where people can gamble. This includes games such as poker, blackjack, and roulette, as well as electronic games like slot machines and video poker. In addition to these games, most casinos also offer a variety of other entertainment and services, such as dining, shopping, and live shows.
Casinos are usually staffed with full-time security personnel. Modern casinos have two distinct departments for security: a physical force that patrols the floor, and a specialized surveillance department that operates a closed-circuit television system. These departments work together to ensure the safety of guests and protect property.
While the glamour of a Vegas casino may make it seem like a fun and inviting place to spend time, most are engineered to slowly bleed patrons of their hard-earned cash. Beneath the flashing lights and free drinks, casinos operate on a bedrock of mathematics that is designed to suck patrons’ money. For years, mathematically inclined minds have tried to beat the house through clever use of probability and game theory.
While many Americans associate Las Vegas with gambling, casinos can be found all over the world. The first casino opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1978, and during the 1980s several American states amended their antigambling laws to allow casinos. In the 1990s casinos started appearing on Native American reservations, and a few were even built in South America. In general, casinos accept wagers based on chance, but some do have an element of skill.
