Casino is the name given to any public place where a variety of games of chance are played and gambling is permitted. A casino may also be called a gaming hall, gambling house, or simply a gaming establishment. Some casinos feature stage shows, restaurants, and dramatic scenery to lure in customers, but they all have one thing in common—gambling is their primary focus.
Beneath the flashing lights, free cocktails, and celebrity impersonators, casinos are mathematically engineered to slowly bleed their patrons of their hard-earned money. For years mathematically inclined minds have attempted to turn the tables, using their knowledge of probability and game theory to exploit weaknesses in a rigged system.
Every game offered by a casino has a built-in mathematical advantage for the house. The advantage can be quite small, but over time it generates enough revenue to allow casinos to build dazzling hotels and fountains, giant pyramids and towers and replicas of famous landmarks. The advantage is known as the vig or rake, and it can vary by game and even by the type of machine used.
Because large amounts of cash are handled within a casino, security is paramount. Most casinos have security cameras throughout the facility, and each employee is tasked with watching for suspicious betting patterns or attempts to cheat. The most blatant cheats are caught on camera and often result in the forfeiture of a player’s winnings. Security personnel also watch over card games and other table games, looking for a host of possible offenses including palming (hiding the back of the cards), mark-switching, or false shuffling.