Casino is a movie that brings to mind flashing lights, free drinks and the thrill of gambling. But it is also a story about the way casinos operate and how the mob got involved in them. It lays out the web of corruption that was centered in Las Vegas, with tendrils connecting to politicians, Teamsters unions and even mafia groups from Chicago and the Midwest.
Gambling isn’t just about betting money on the odds of winning, it is also about gaining an advantage over the house. That’s why casinos employ people like gaming mathematicians and gaming analysts to work out the house edge and variance of their games. This gives them a clear idea about what kind of profits they are likely to make and how much cash they should have on hand.
There are several ways that casinos can prevent cheating and stealing by patrons. Elaborate surveillance systems, for example, offer a “eye-in-the-sky” view of every table, window and doorway. These can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons by security staff in a room filled with banks of monitors. Casinos also have a wide variety of other security measures, such as video cameras and the ability to see the faces of players through their chips.
People at casinos are a pretty diverse bunch, from regulars who strut about expecting to win big to people trying to win back what they’ve lost on the slots. But they all share one thing in common – they’re having a great time!