A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. These facilities often include a hotel, restaurants, bars and gaming rooms. They also may be combined with other entertainment venues such as concert arenas, exhibition halls and theaters.
Casinos go to great lengths to attract patrons and keep them gambling for as long as possible. They use a variety of tricks that appeal to the senses—colors, lights, scents and sounds—to make their gambling options as appealing as possible.
For example, the machines in a casino are programmed by computer to sound pleasing, with bells and whistles that add to the atmosphere. They are also designed to be enticing by the way they pay out winnings, with the “cling clang” noise of coins dropping as they’re released.
In addition, casinos try to create a partylike environment by using music, dancers and games that encourage social interaction. They usually feature a loud, bright color scheme and nonalcoholic drinks are readily available. Some casinos have fountains, giant pyramids or towers and replicas of famous landmarks to create a dazzling backdrop.
The high-tech “eye in the sky” surveillance systems used by many modern casinos give security workers a clear view of all casino activity. They can be aimed at particular tables or windows to look for suspicious behavior, such as players switching chips or stealing money. Casino employees are trained to spot cheating patterns and to look for telltale signs of gambling addiction. However, studies indicate that the social costs of treating problem gamblers and the economic losses to communities from lost productivity by addicts more than offset any profits a casino might bring in.
