A casino is a place where people go to gamble and play games of chance. In addition to gambling, many casinos also have restaurants, hotels, spas and entertainment. They are often large and impressive in size, with an extensive selection of games and amenities.
Something about the atmosphere of a casino encourages some people to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot. That’s why casinos spend a lot of time and effort on security.
Casinos often employ a number of different kinds of security personnel to keep track of the people who are in the building. Some security workers stand in front of slot machines, keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior. Other security workers watch over table games with a wider view, checking to see if patrons are using marking devices or palming cards. Casinos also use high-tech surveillance systems, which provide a kind of eye-in-the-sky that allows security to focus on any suspicious activity at any given moment.
Gambling in some form has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. The modern casino is a relatively recent invention, however. In the US, the first casinos appeared in Atlantic City and New Jersey in the 1970s. Since then, more casinos have opened in states that legalized gambling and on American Indian reservations, where state antigambling laws don’t apply. Some large casinos have become tourist attractions in their own right, drawing in visitors from around the world.