Whether you’re looking to place bets on the next big sports event, try your hand at poker or just take in the glitz and glamour, a casino is the place for you. While musical shows, lighted fountains and elaborate hotels may help draw the crowds, casinos would not exist without games of chance. Slot machines, roulette, craps, keno and blackjack provide the billions in profits that make up the bulk of a successful casino’s annual revenues.

The average gambler is a forty-six-year-old female from a household with above-average income. This group makes up a large percentage of casino gambling patrons, and their money helps to pay for the high-rise hotels and spectacular fountains that are the hallmark of the modern casino. However, economic studies show that casino gambling actually shifts spending away from other forms of entertainment and, in some cases, causes a net loss to the local economy.

A successful casino depends on security, and that starts with the employees who monitor the casino floor. Casino workers are trained to spot a variety of cheating techniques, such as palming, marking or switching dice or cards. Each table game also has a pit boss or manager, who watches over the entire game and is trained to recognize betting patterns that could indicate cheating. In addition to the human element, casinos rely on cameras and electronic surveillance systems to keep their gamblers safe. Some even have catwalks in the ceiling that allow surveillance personnel to look down on the players from a distance with one-way glass.