A casino is a gambling establishment that offers various games of chance and skill. These include roulette, blackjack, craps, poker, and baccarat. Many casinos also offer live entertainment, luxurious accommodations, and top-notch restaurants and bars.
Casinos may be owned and operated by public or private owners. They can be located in urban or rural areas and are often built near other tourist attractions. Some are even built on the waterfront. Casinos vary in size and layout, but all are designed to attract gamblers.
During the mob era in Reno and Las Vegas, gangsters funded casinos with large amounts of cash. They also took sole or partial ownership of the casinos and influenced the outcomes of some games through intimidation or violence against casino personnel. However, federal crackdowns and the prospect of losing a license at the slightest hint of mafia involvement caused legitimate businessmen with deep pockets to invest in casinos. They bought out the mobsters and ended up with more money than they started with!
Gambling has been part of human culture for millennia. Archeological evidence of dice games dates back to 2300 BC, and cards appeared in Europe around 800 AD. Modern casinos have sophisticated security measures in place to prevent cheating, theft and other illegal activity. These measures are usually a combination of physical security forces and specialized departments for closed circuit television surveillance, commonly known as the eye in the sky. They are constantly monitoring the entire floor for suspicious behavior and can quickly focus on specific patrons with the touch of a button.