A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are most often located in or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. In addition to gambling, casinos host live entertainment events and exhibits. The term “casino” may also refer to:
Casinos are most widely known for their slot machines and table games such as blackjack, roulette and poker. However, they are also renowned for their extravagant inducements to gamblers, especially big bettors. These perks include free spectacular entertainment, reduced-fare transportation and elegant living quarters. In addition, casinos routinely use technology to supervise their games, such as “chip tracking,” which electronically monitors betting chips to discover any deviation from expected value; and electronic systems that superimpose random numbers over a spinning roulette wheel in order to ensure that each spin is independent of all previous ones.
Despite their high profits, many people view casinos as detrimental to society. Some critics argue that the glitzy advertising campaigns and architectural features are distracting from the fact that gambling is addictive, and the costs associated with treating compulsive gamblers and lowering property values erode any financial gains. Other critics point out that a casino’s revenue does not necessarily translate into jobs and tax revenues, and that it diverts spending from other forms of entertainment. However, other analysts note that a casino’s presence may actually increase tourism and local business, as well as boost the income of people who work in the gaming industry.