A casino is a place where people gamble by playing games of chance. These games can include table games such as blackjack, roulette and craps or slot machines. People can also play poker, which involves a combination of skill and luck. In addition to gambling, many casinos have restaurants and bars. Some even offer hotels and resorts as part of their integrated entertainment complexes.
The casino industry has become very competitive in the twenty-first century. The average casino patron is a forty-six-year-old woman from a household with above-average income. Casinos focus their advertising and promotional efforts on this market segment. They tend to hire more women than men and pay them higher wages. In 2005, the average salary of a casino employee was $41,400 per year.
While some casino gambling is done openly, most is done in private rooms. These rooms are reserved for high rollers, or people who spend a large amount of money. These high-stakes players are monitored closely by security personnel. They can be rewarded with free hotel rooms, meals, tickets to shows and even airline tickets if they are frequent guests.
Casinos can be a dangerous place, as both patrons and employees can try to cheat or steal. This is why casinos use sophisticated surveillance systems. Often, surveillance cameras have a “high-in-the-sky” view of the entire casino floor and can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons. In addition, table managers and pit bosses watch over the tables with a more discerning eye, watching for cheating tactics such as palming, marking or switching cards or dice.