A casino is a gambling establishment where people can play various games of chance for money. The first casinos appeared in the 18th century in Europe and were very popular among the upper class. Nowadays, casinos are found in many countries around the world and serve as a source of income for both locals and visitors.
From the Las Vegas strip to the pai gow parlors of New York City, there are few places more closely associated with gambling than casinos. But while these venues are all built with the same intent of attracting gamblers and making them richer, they vary in terms of their size, style and amenities.
Today, some of the biggest casinos in the world are ultra-modern, palatial complexes that would dwarf a small town in acreage alone. They feature five star hotel accommodations, Michelin-starred restaurants, designer shops and top-billed entertainment shows that range from high-flying circus acts to the latest musician concerts topping the Billboard charts.
Some of the larger casinos also offer eye-catching installations and visual art shows that add to their glitz and glamour, such as the color-changing “Tree of Prosperity” at Winstar World Casino in Oklahoma or the mesmerizing Performance Lake at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. And then there’s the Venetian Macau in China, which is big enough to have its own canal way for gondola rides and an entire shopping mall.
The majority of modern casinos use a combination of physical security forces and specialized surveillance departments to ensure the safety of guests and employees. This includes a dedicated police force and closed-circuit television systems with one-way mirrors that allow surveillance personnel to see into gaming tables without disrupting the action on the floor.
