A casino is a place where a variety of games of chance can be played and where gambling is the primary activity. The typical casino adds many luxuries to help attract customers, including restaurants, free drinks and stage shows. The word casino is derived from the Latin casinus, meaning “house.” The first casinos were housed in converted mansions or private homes. As the popularity of casino gambling grew, new buildings were built specifically to house these activities.
A successful casino can bring in billions of dollars each year for the corporations, investors, and Native American tribes that own and operate them. In addition, state and local governments reap tax revenues from casinos. This money is then used to support schools, hospitals and other public services.
Because casinos deal in large amounts of money, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat and steal, either in collusion or independently. Casinos have extensive security measures to prevent this. Casino security workers patrol the floor, looking for blatant signs of cheating such as tampering with cards or dice. In some casinos, sophisticated surveillance systems provide an “eye-in-the-sky” view of every table, window and doorway.
In addition to security, a casino must also have a good understanding of the odds for each game it offers. This information allows it to calculate the expected return on investment for each bet, and how much money it will need in cash reserves. This information is provided by expert gaming mathematicians and computer programmers.