A casino, also known as a gaming house or a gambling establishment, is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. It is often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and/or entertainment venues. While musical shows, lighted fountains, and luxurious hotel rooms add to the appeal of a casino, it is the games that bring in the customers and the billions of dollars in revenue that casinos rake in every year.
Although casinos focus on customer service, they do not skimp on security measures. Besides the usual security personnel who patrol the floor and watch over individual slot machines, table games, and the like, some have elaborate systems that allow security workers to keep a close eye on things from a room filled with bank of monitors. For example, a high-tech “eye-in-the-sky” system allows surveillance personnel to view any slot machine in the casino through one-way glass, and even change the camera’s focus on particular suspicious patrons.
A casino’s bottom line is profit, and in order to maximize that, they try to attract as many gamblers as possible by offering perks, or comps, to big spenders. These free items range from food and drinks to show tickets and limo services. In the past, casinos gave comps to almost anyone who spent money on their premises, but today they are choosier about who gets these gifts. The casino industry is especially interested in the high roller, a person who makes large bets and spends a lot of time at the tables or in front of the slot machines.