A casino is a building or room where gambling activities take place. Most people when they hear this word think of the big megaresorts like the Bellagio in Las Vegas – glitzy, bright and fun places that make you want to play a game. But a casino is much more than that. The Merriam Webster dictionary definition is “an establishment for social amusements, specifically gambling.” That’s a lot more than just lights and games.
Something about casinos and gambling seems to encourage people to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot. That’s why casinos spend a lot of time, effort and money on security. They have to be on the lookout for everything from counterfeiting casino chips to making sure that people are of legal age to gamble. They also have to watch how people move around the casino and rely on their patterns of behavior to pick out suspicious activity.
There are also other issues that casinos deal with. They have to keep their employees happy and attract customers. They do this with perks called comps, which are free goods or services that are given to players based on how much they gamble. The perks may include anything from free hotel rooms to free food and tickets to shows.
Another thing that casinos are dealing with is how to appeal to a new generation of gamblers. These younger customers tend to be more accustomed to online gaming and mobile apps than the old school of playing table games or slot machines. This is forcing some casinos to adjust their business models in order to compete.