A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. While shopping centers, musical shows and lighted fountains help draw in customers, casinos would not exist without the billions of dollars in profits generated by games like slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and more. In this article we’ll look at how casinos make money, popular casino games and their rules, and the dark side of the industry.
Most casino games have a built in statistical advantage for the house, called the “house edge.” This percentage can be as low as two percent, but over millions of bets it adds up. This profit, known as the vig or rake, is how casinos make their money. Casinos often use the money they collect from vig to decorate their premises, build elaborate hotels and offer other perks to attract visitors.
Table games typically involve players sitting around a table, which is designed specifically for the game being played. Typical tables include card games like poker and blackjack, dice games like craps, and wheel games such as roulette. A croupier or dealer enables the games and manages payments. In many of these games, players wager against each other or the house.
Casinos also feature various restaurants and bars, a hotel and other accommodations, and entertainment venues such as theaters and dance halls. In addition, they often have high-tech surveillance systems that enable security personnel to monitor the entire casino floor from a single room filled with banks of security screens. This eye-in-the-sky technology is supplemented by specialized cameras that can focus on specific suspicious patrons.