A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. It is often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and cruise ships. Many casinos are also known for providing live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports.
Originally, most American casinos were operated by organized crime figures, who supplied the money and a taint of illegality to sullied gambling. These criminals were often involved in other rackets, such as drug dealing and extortion. As a result, legitimate businessmen were reluctant to become involved in the casino business, which was generally viewed as a “vice.”
The modern American casino became popular during the 1960s and is generally designed with an extravagant theme. The famous Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, for example, was designed by architect Jay Samo and was intended to look like the palace of a Roman emperor. It is no surprise that it has been the host to numerous stars, from Frank Sinatra and Liberace to Elton John and Dolly Parton.
Most casinos have very high security to protect their patrons and prevent cheating. The high-tech eye-in-the-sky surveillance systems can monitor every table, window, and doorway. These cameras can be adjusted by casino employees in a separate room filled with banks of security monitors. Casinos are also often wired to a central computer system that monitors the slot machines and records statistical deviations, which alert security if suspicious patterns appear. Security personnel are trained to watch for these deviations, which they can recognize based on the routines of the games and the expected reactions of the players.
