Whether you enjoy a glass of wine by the fountains at the Bellagio or a game of poker in a room that echoes with history, you can find it all and more at a casino. These casinos aren’t just gambling joints, though; they also feature restaurants, bars, hotels and spas. Some ooze history while others are gleaming, modern temples of overindulgence.
Gambling is an ancient practice that has found its way into almost every culture in the world. In some cases it even has an element of skill. Most games, however, have mathematically determined odds that give the house a built in advantage over players. This can be as low as two percent for some games, but over the millions of bets placed by patrons each year this edge is enough to keep casinos afloat.
That’s why security at these establishments is so important. Casinos spend a large amount of time, effort and money to keep their gamblers safe from cheating and theft. This starts on the casino floor where dealers keep their eyes peeled for blatantly obvious cheating like palming cards or marking dice. In addition, they rely on routines of behavior to spot anything out of the ordinary. Casinos also use technology to supervise the games themselves. For example, betting chips have built in microcircuitry that interacts with electronic systems to oversee the exact amounts wagered minute by minute and warn staff of any anomaly; and roulette wheels are regularly monitored to discover statistical deviations from their expected results.