Security Measures at a Casino
A casino is a gambling establishment that features games of chance and skill. These casinos may be large resorts in Las Vegas or small card rooms in New York City. Casino games include roulette, blackjack, poker, craps, and bingo. In the United States, casino gaming earns billions each year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that run them. Local governments also reap the benefits of tax revenues and other payments from gamblers. Casinos employ a wide variety of security measures to ensure that patrons’ money is safe.
Gambling has existed since the earliest days of recorded history, with primitive protodice (cut knuckle bones) and carved six-sided dice found at some archaeological sites. But the casino as we know it today didn’t develop until the 16th century, when a gambling craze swept Europe. Italian aristocrats, for example, gathered in private parties called ridotti to play their favorite games of chance. These were technically illegal, but the aristocrats never got into trouble with the Inquisition, and the gambling industry thrived.
Casinos make money by drawing in gamblers and then luring them into spending more than they win. To maximize their profits, casinos focus on customer service and offer perks to attract the most gamblers. These include free meals, hotel stays, and show tickets. They also promote their casinos with flashy advertisements on the Internet and in the media.
Although casinos rely on chance to attract customers, they must take steps to prevent cheating, theft, and other forms of misconduct. Security personnel keep an eye on all the activity in the casino, and cameras located throughout the building allow them to monitor all areas at once. This “eye-in-the-sky” technology is supplemented by more traditional surveillance methods: dealers are highly focused on their own games, so they’re able to spot blatant cheating like palming, marking, or switching cards; and table managers watch the patterns of betting to catch crooks and scammers.
Something about the glitz, glamour, and huge amounts of money involved in casino gambling draws cheaters and thieves, and casinos spend a lot of time and money on security. Besides the cameras, most casinos have other visible deterrents: bright and sometimes gaudy floor and wall coverings that stimulate the senses and make it harder to relax and concentrate; no clocks on the walls because it’s hard to keep track of time; and high-security vaults to store money and valuables.
When mobster money first flowed into Reno and Las Vegas casinos in the 1950s, legitimate businessmen were reluctant to get involved, as casino ownership carried the stigma of gangland crime. But real estate developers and hotel chains with deep pockets soon realized the huge potential of the gambling business, buying out the mobsters and sanitizing casino operations. Today, even the slightest hint of mob involvement can cost a casino its license to operate. As a result, mobsters now stay away from their old gambling cash cows. Nonetheless, despite the mob’s departure, casinos remain popular destinations for travelers worldwide, with shuttle buses full of tourists and locals running to and from them around the clock.