A casino is a place where people can gamble. Some casinos add luxuries, such as restaurants and free drinks, to attract patrons. Others are less lavish but still house gambling activities.
There are a number of ways that patrons and staff may attempt to cheat at casino games, either in collusion with each other or independently. This is why casinos are so heavily guarded. Security cameras are located throughout a casino and can be focused on specific tables, entrances and windows. In addition, elaborate surveillance systems provide a high-tech “eye in the sky” view of the entire casino floor that can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons.
Most casinos are designed around noise, light and excitement to persuade gamblers to risk their money. Casinos often use a bright and sometimes gaudy color scheme, such as red, to stimulate and cheer gamblers on. They also do not put clocks on the walls because they fear that gamblers will lose track of time and spend more than they should.
Casinos make a large portion of their profits from slot machines, which are the least skill-intensive casino games. These machines allow players to insert cash or paper tickets with barcodes into a machine, then watch as bands of colored shapes roll on reels (actual physical ones or a video representation of them). When the right pattern appears, the machine pays out a predetermined amount of money.
Casinos also depend on a small number of very large gamblers to finance the other expenses of running their establishments. This is why they offer perks like comps (free items) to encourage gamblers to spend more than the average person.