Casinos are establishments for various forms of gambling. In the United States, casinos can often be found in cities with legalized gambling such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City in New Jersey. Casinos often combine hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops and tourist attractions into one complex; military personnel may refer to such an establishment as their “officer’s mess”.
Horse Racing or lottery games rely on chance for their winnings; by contrast, casino games utilize both skill and luck equally to determine winnings. Popular casino games include poker, blackjack, baccarat and roulette; some such as craps also require strategy. Many casino patrons gamble more than they can afford to lose; casinos encourage this behavior by offering complimentary items, known as comps; these might include food or beverages at no cost when staying overnight at their accommodations or concert tickets without cost to them; the length of stay determines how many comps an individual earns.
Most casinos utilize sophisticated surveillance and security systems to keep tabs on their customers, enforce rules of conduct and behavior (for instance requiring that players keep their hands visible while playing cards) as well as offer surveillance personnel a one-way glass view from catwalks above the casino floor. Cameras and other forms of surveillance technology such as this serve to maintain integrity within games while helping the casinos avoid cheating or fraudulence.
Casino industry operators’s ultimate aim is to attract and keep gamblers, creating an engaging environment in which to gamble. Beyond gaming, casinos provide dining, entertainment and amenities such as swimming pools, spas and golf courses; some also host concerts or comedy acts while some promote themselves as tourist spots by offering comps as an inducement to visit them.
Although some casinos specialize in illegal activities such as money laundering, most are heavily regulated and employ comprehensive security measures to prevent these practices. They also dedicate considerable resources and energy towards customer service efforts. Some casinos provide high-tech versions of casino floors, where betting chips equipped with microcircuitry interact with electronic systems on tables to track minute by minute exactly how much is betted on each round. Innovations like these are crucial to casinos competing with online gambling sites that are becoming more and more popular. Furthermore, the more sophisticated and interactive a casino becomes, the greater its success at attracting and keeping gamblers.