A casino is a place where people can play gambling games. It can be quite lavish, complete with stage shows and dramatic scenery. But at its core, a casino is a business that earns its money by charging patrons for the privilege of placing wagers against their house edge.
That advantage can be small—less than two percent, depending on the game—but it adds up over time. That’s how casinos make enough to fund elaborate hotels, fountains and giant pyramids. And it’s how they finance the millions of bets placed by gamblers each week.
In addition to their general security measures, casinos also employ a variety of technology to supervise the games themselves. In one example, betting chips have built in microcircuitry that interacts with special systems on the tables to enable casinos to monitor exactly how much is being wagered minute by minute and to be alerted immediately if there is any statistical deviation; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly for the same purpose.
Casinos also take a number of precautions to prevent cheating and stealing by patrons and employees alike. They can include cameras throughout the facility, as well as catwalks that allow surveillance personnel to look down on patrons through one-way glass at table games and slot machines. They can also have rules and regulations that limit the types of games offered, and they may require players to keep their hands visible at all times or to use specific hand-positioning when dealing cards.