A casino is a place where people play games of chance for money. Although casinos offer many other forms of entertainment, including restaurants, stage shows and dramatic scenery, they mainly make their money from gambling. While lighted fountains, shopping centers and hotels help draw in the crowds, it is the games of blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and slot machines that bring in the billions of dollars in profits each year.
Casinos are usually built in large cities and attract visitors from all over the world. In the United States, casinos are most often found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, though they have also been developed on American Indian reservations, which are exempt from state antigambling laws. In addition, there are numerous international casinos.
In the twenty-first century, casinos are focusing their investment dollars on high rollers—gamblers who wager a lot of money. These customers receive special treatment in dedicated rooms away from the main floor, where their stakes can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. In return, they receive comps such as free hotel stays and meals, show tickets and limo service.
Despite the glamour of casinos, there are some dark sides to this industry. In the past, casino owners sometimes employed organized crime figures to manage their operations. These men, accustomed to dealing in illegal drugs and extortion, saw casinos as a way to legitimize their criminal activities by creating profitable enterprises. Today, casinos employ sophisticated security measures to prevent cheating and stealing by both patrons and employees. These include cameras in every corner of the building, and video surveillance systems that allow security staff to monitor all activity in any room.