A Casino is a place where people come to gamble and have fun. Many casinos also provide entertainment, dining and hotel services to their visitors. Casinos earn billions of dollars in profits every year from people who play games of chance and some games that require a little skill. Popular casino games include slot machines, blackjack, roulette and craps. Most games have a built-in house advantage that is based on the mathematical odds of each bet and is known as the expected value of the game (from the player’s perspective).
In order to attract players, casinos offer free shows, meals, hotel rooms and even limo service and airline tickets to big bettors. This is called comping. A casino’s comping policy is based on the amount of time and money a person spends playing, their level of play and the amount they bet. A person’s status as a “good” player is determined by the casino’s management.
Casinos are notorious for having poor security. There is always the possibility that some patron will try to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot. This is why the casino has to put a lot of effort and money into security. Security begins on the casino floor, where employees keep an eye on patrons and games. Dealers can easily spot blatant cheating like palming or marking cards. Pit bosses and table managers have a broader view of the games, looking for betting patterns that may indicate crooked action.