Casino is a gambling establishment that offers multiple forms of entertainment, including slot machines, table games like blackjack and roulette and card games like baccarat. The majority of the fun and profits for a casino, however, is derived from the games of chance. These games are what give casinos their built in statistical advantage, which allows them to generate billions of dollars in profits every year. This article explores how casinos make their money, the history of casino games, what you can expect when you visit a Casino and the dark side of this business.

While gambling in some form has been around for as long as people have, the idea of a central gaming location didn’t develop until the 16th century. Until then, individual aristocrats would meet at private clubs known as ridotti to gamble and socialize. These clubs were not technically legal, but the inquisition rarely bothered the aristocrats.

After the Civil War, gangsters became more interested in the lucrative gambling scene and began investing in casinos. While legitimate businessmen were wary of the seamy association with organized crime, mobsters saw casino ownership as an excellent way to diversify their incomes and avoid prosecution for their other illegal rackets, such as drug dealing and extortion.

Security in a casino starts on the floor, where casino employees are trained to spot anything out of the ordinary. Dealers are especially watchful, focusing on how the cards are handled, the betting patterns on tables and how patrons respond to each other. Elaborate surveillance systems can also offer a high-tech “eye in the sky,” with cameras in the ceiling that watch each table, window and doorway and are adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons by casino workers in a room filled with banks of monitors.