A casino is a public place where gambling activities take place, such as games of chance and slot machines. A casino can also refer to a room or building that houses such gaming activities.
A typical casino offers a full range of table and machine games. Some casinos specialize in certain types of games, such as blackjack and poker. Others offer a wide variety of games, including video slots and roulette. Casinos are often large and lavish, with restaurants and theaters for stage shows. They can also be smaller and less opulent, like those found in Native American tribal casinos.
Gambling is a popular pastime with many people, and it is estimated that about 51 million Americans visited a casino in 2002. In addition to bringing in billions of dollars for corporations, investors and casino owners, successful casinos bring in significant amounts of money to local communities in the form of taxes and fees.
Most casinos offer a player’s club, similar to airline frequent flyer programs, in which patrons are rewarded for their play with free or discounted meals, drinks, hotel rooms and even tickets to shows. The player’s club card is swiped electronically before each session and the computer tallys up points that can be exchanged for cash or free slot play.
Most casinos are designed to ensure a net profit by minimizing the house’s advantage on each game. To that end, windows and clocks are rare in casino buildings, and players may lose track of time spent at the tables or machines. To encourage big bettors, casinos offer them extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, limo service and expensive hotel rooms.