A casino is a place where people play a variety of gambling games. It may offer food, drinks and entertainment. Casinos may also be combined with hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions.
Although musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers are nice distractions, casinos would not exist without games of chance, which generate the billions of dollars in profits raked in every year. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno provide the bulk of the income. Card games like poker, baccarat and pai gow are also common. Some casinos feature regional favorites, such as sic bo (a traditional Far Eastern game that spread to American casinos in the 1990s) and fan-tan.
Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, both patrons and staff members are susceptible to cheating or stealing. To prevent this, casinos invest a large amount of time, effort and money on security. Security cameras are located throughout the facility to monitor activity. In addition, casinos give out free goods and services to “good” players. Comps can include hotel rooms, restaurant reservations, show tickets and airline tickets. Ask a casino employee or someone at the information desk for details.
While modern casino facilities add a lot of luxuries to their gambling operations, there have been less extravagant places that housed these activities and were still considered to be casinos. For example, the famous Casino El Camino on 6th Street in Austin, Texas is actually a bar with hip jukeboxes and some of the best burgers in town.