A casino is a building where people can gamble and play games of chance. It may also contain stage shows and dramatic scenery to enhance the experience. Casinos often offer free drinks and food to attract customers and entice them to spend more money gambling.
Most casino games are based on luck but some have a skill component as well. The mathematically determined house advantage, which can be less than two percent, makes casinos profitable and funds their glitzy structures and elaborate fountains, towers and replicas of famous landmarks. The house edge is sometimes referred to as the vig or rake. Casinos also take a percentage of each bet placed on slot machines and video poker.
Gambling was illegal in most states before the 1950s, so legitimate businessmen were reluctant to get involved. Mafia gangsters, on the other hand, had plenty of cash from drug dealing and extortion rackets and had no problem lending their money to help expand gambling facilities in Nevada. They became sole or partial owners of many casinos and used their mob connections to influence game outcomes.
Modern casinos use technology to monitor and verify the results of gambling activities. Counts of the number of chips placed on a table are kept by computer for verification; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results. Casinos also employ bright, stimulating colors to entice the senses and increase a gambler’s focus on the activity. Red is a popular color because it is thought to cause people to lose track of time.