Just like adventure travelers get a rush from hearing the words “skydiving” or “bungee jumping,” gamblers can feel the same excitement from hearing the word “casino.” Shiny lights, flashy gambling games and countless ways to make a fortune all beckon to those seeking the thrill of luck. Whether you prefer the high stakes of Las Vegas or the low-key fun of Atlantic City, there’s a casino out there to suit your tastes and risk tolerance.
The largest casinos in the world are located in Las Vegas and Macau, with the latter being seven times larger than the former. These huge casino hotels and resorts feature more tables, slots and other gambling games than you can shake a stick at. They also offer plenty of other activities to entertain guests, including spas, shopping and fine dining.
Most casinos feature many of the same games, but some are known for specialty fare. For instance, Asian casinos usually focus on traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo (which became popular in several European and American casinos in the 1990s), fan-tan and pai gow. Casinos in the United States often feature baccarat, blackjack and trente et quarante.
A casino’s biggest moneymaker is usually the slot machines, which are operated by computer chips and are programmed to pay out according to a random number generator. While a small percentage of the money that goes into a machine is lost to the house, most of it is returned to the player in winning combinations. This is why most people are drawn to casino gambling.
Casinos also earn a large portion of their profits from “high rollers.” These are gamblers who place bets that are significantly higher than average. These gamblers usually play in special rooms away from the main casino floor and can receive comps such as free hotel rooms, meals and show tickets. They may even get limo service and airline tickets, depending on how much they spend at the casino.
Because casinos are big businesses with a lot of money, they have elaborate security systems. Casino employees patrol the gaming floors, looking out for suspicious patrons and preventing them from cheating or stealing. Other casino security measures include video surveillance and a high-tech eye-in-the-sky system. The latter is a system that uses cameras to monitor every table, window and doorway in the building. The cameras are adjustable and can be focused on specific suspicious patrons by security workers in a room filled with banks of security monitors. The monitoring system can also be used to review video of past crimes or security breaches at the casino. These recordings are then stored in a secure vault. Security personnel can also access these records at any time to review past events or catch criminals. These security measures make casinos some of the safest places to gamble on earth.