A Casino is a place where a wide variety of games of chance are played. While musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels help to draw in the crowds, casinos would not exist without the billions of dollars in profits that come from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, keno and more are what make up the majority of casino profits every year.
The precise origin of casinos is unknown, but gambling in some form has been seen in nearly all societies throughout history, from primitive protodice and carved knuckle bones to modern-day card games and the ubiquitous slot machine. Gambling was a popular pastime in the Roman Empire and Elizabethan England, and the concept of a central location where patrons could find all manner of games of chance under one roof became increasingly popular as European civilization spread.
Today, casinos often include a wide range of table and card games, including traditional Far Eastern games like sic bo and fan-tan, as well as more familiar casino favorites such as poker and blackjack. In addition, many casinos feature elaborately decorated rooms with beautiful scenery and luxurious amenities to create an upscale experience. The Bellagio in Las Vegas is perhaps the most famous casino in the world, and the Ocean’s 11 movie helped bring it further international fame.
In addition to the actual gambling, casinos also offer free hotel rooms, meals and show tickets to “good” players, depending on the amount of money they spend at the tables. Because of the high amounts of money handled in casinos, cheating and stealing are common. This is why casinos invest so much time, effort and money in security. In addition to cameras, most casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling that allow surveillance personnel to look down on the tables through one-way glass.