A Casino is an establishment that offers gambling-related activities. It is usually combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and/or other tourist attractions. Patrons gamble by playing games of chance or skill, such as blackjack, poker, roulette and slot machines. Casinos are also known for giving out complimentary items or comps to players, such as free meals, hotel rooms and tickets to shows. Most casinos offer club cards that can be swiped before a game to track play and tally up comps.
The majority of casino gambling is done by people who are forty-six years old or older, and have household incomes above the national average. People with higher incomes are more likely to be casino gamblers than those with lower ones, although this is not always the case. In 2005, a study by Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gaming Panel by TNS found that only about 20% of Americans in households earning less than $30,000 per year participate in casino gambling.
Due to the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat and steal. In order to avoid this, most casinos employ several security measures. These range from simple security cameras located throughout the casino to elaborate surveillance systems that provide a “wall-to-wall” eye in the sky, with cameras watching every table, doorway and window.
Casinos often attract organized crime figures who take sole or partial ownership of some casinos, and influence the outcomes of others through gangster clout or simply by offering financial inducements to big bettors. Despite their seamy reputation, casinos have become legitimate businesses, drawing in tourists from all over the world.