A casino, also known as a gambling house or a gaming room, is an establishment for the conduct of certain types of gambling. It may be a stand-alone building or part of a larger hotel, resort, or tourist attraction. Casinos are legal in some jurisdictions and prohibited in others. They may be operated by a government, private corporation, or individual. Some casinos specialize in specific games, such as blackjack or poker, while others offer a variety of games and are open to the general public. Some are staffed by professional dealers, while others depend on patrons to deal the cards or spin the wheel.
A typical casino includes a main floor with one or more games and an upper level hosting various entertainment activities such as restaurants, bars, and lounges. It is common for casino floors to be illuminated and decorated with lavish chandeliers and mirrors, creating a luxurious atmosphere. Many casinos feature stage shows and other forms of live entertainment.
The casino industry has been in rapid growth since the 1980s. Casinos have been established in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and other American states; on Indian reservations; in Macau and Hong Kong; and in numerous countries around the world. The growth of the casino industry has been fueled by consumer demand, the availability of cheap credit, and changing social attitudes toward gambling. Casinos have also benefited from the introduction of technology that has improved game play and increased security.
Most casino games have a built-in advantage for the house that is mathematically determined and independent of skill. This advantage, called the house edge, is uniformly negative from a player’s perspective. In games that require some degree of skill, such as blackjack and baccarat, the house edge can be reduced by using card counting techniques. In games where players compete against each other, such as poker, the casino earns money through a commission or rake.
Casinos employ a wide variety of technology to verify the integrity of bets and games. For example, “chip tracking” systems enable casinos to monitor bets minute-by-minute and to quickly discover any anomaly. Roulette wheels are often electronically monitored to prevent cheating. Casinos also routinely monitor the physical condition of machines, and they may use video cameras to ensure that patrons are following the rules.
While casinos bring in a great deal of money, they are not without their problems. Studies indicate that they impose a substantial social cost in the form of addiction counseling and lost productivity among compulsive gamblers. Furthermore, they often shift spending away from other forms of local entertainment. For these reasons, some economists argue that casinos do not create jobs and do not increase the overall wealth of a region. Others counter that the profits from casinos provide a significant source of tax revenue. In any event, the casino industry is a major economic force worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 51 million people—a quarter of all adults over 21—visited a casino in 2002.
