A casino (also known as a gambling house or a gaming hall) is a place where people can play a variety of games of chance for money. Most casinos offer slot machines and poker, but some also have sports books, horse racing tracks and other types of gaming. Casinos are usually located in or near hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. Some are owned by or combined with resorts or hotels, and many offer additional entertainment such as concerts and shows.
Security is a big part of the casino business. Security workers monitor patrons and the games to catch any suspicious activity. They often wear tan suits and are not allowed to show any emotion. They are trained to spot a number of things, including blatant cheating such as palming or marking cards, switching dice and changing the order of bets. Several people watch each table game, and higher-ups keep tabs on all the action in an entire casino from a room filled with banks of security monitors.
Something about gambling seems to encourage people to try to steal or cheat to win a jackpot, and it’s this that drives casino security. But it’s not just stealing and cheating that hurts casinos; studies indicate that compulsive gamblers take more than their fair share of casino profits, reducing or even cancelling any economic benefits they might bring to the local community.
