A casino is a gambling establishment that offers various games of chance for the public to enjoy. It may also feature restaurants, free drinks and stage shows to draw in customers. Some casinos specialize in specific games, while others offer a wide variety of gambling options. Some of the most popular games include slots, blackjack, baccarat and roulette. These games are usually regulated by state law.
Casinos began to grow in popularity in the United States after World War II, when they were used as a refuge from rationing and other economic hardships. As more and more people visited them, the industry grew exponentially. Many states legalized gambling to capitalize on the tourist industry, and casinos sprung up everywhere from Iowa to Atlantic City.
While some casinos have a sexy, glamorous image, most are fairly ordinary places that house a variety of gambling activities. The word casino is believed to come from Italian, and it originally referred to a small clubhouse for Italians to meet for social occasions. However, over time it evolved into a more general term for any place that features a variety of pleasurable activities and not just gambling.
In the early days of casino gambling, mobsters controlled much of the business in Reno and Las Vegas. Their mob ties gave them the capital to finance large casino construction projects and the ability to influence the outcome of some games. But federal crackdowns and the threat of losing a casino license at the slightest hint of Mafia involvement eventually drove the mobsters out. Real estate investors and hotel chains, which had more money than the gangsters did, bought out the casinos and began to run them without mob interference.
Most modern casinos use a combination of physical security and a specialized surveillance department. The security personnel patrol the casino floor and respond to calls for assistance or reports of suspicious behavior. The surveillance department operates a closed circuit television system known as the eye in the sky, which is designed to watch every table, window and doorway in a casino. It can be adjusted to focus on specific patrons by security workers in a separate room.
In addition to the high-tech surveillance systems, casinos employ a host of other security methods. For example, dealers are heavily trained to look out for blatant cheating by players. They keep a close eye on each player, looking for markings or palming of cards and for patterns in betting that could signal that someone is trying to game the system. They also make sure to take frequent breaks, and they have a clear view of the casino’s exits. In addition, some casinos have catwalks in the ceiling that allow surveillance workers to look directly down on the activities taking place at the tables and slot machines. This is called “chip tracking.”