| |
 Info
about gambling and online casinos in general
Topics:
Land
based casinos
 |
| Mirage Hotel &
Casino, Las Vegas. |
A casino is a facility that accommodates
certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are often placed
near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise
ships and other vacation attractions. Some casinos are known for
hosting live entertainment events, such as concerts and sporting
events, especially boxing.
History
The term originally meant a small villa, summerhouse or pavilion
built for pleasure, usually on the grounds of a larger Italian
villa or palazzo. There are examples of such casinos at Villa
Giulia and Villa Farnese. During the 19th century, the term casino
came to include other more public buildings where pleasurable
activities, including gambling and sports, took place. An example
of this type of building is the Newport Casino.
 |
| Baccarat casino,
Edmonton alberta |
In modern Italian, this term designates
a bordello (also called "casa chiusa", literally "closed
house"), while the gambling house is spelled casinò
with an accent.
Gambling
in casinos
In most jurisdictions, gambling
is limited to persons over the age of majority (21 years of age
in most of the United States and 18 to 21 in most other countries
where casinos are permitted). Customers may gamble by playing
slot machines or other games of chance (e.g., craps, roulette,
baccarat) and some skill (eg., blackjack, poker) [for more see
casino games]. Game rules usually have mathematically-determined
odds that ensure the house retains an advantage over the players.
This advantage is called the edge. Payout is the percentage given
to players.
 |
| Slot machines are
commonplace in casinos |
In games such as poker, the house takes
a commission (a "rake") on bets players make against
each other. Our money refers to the situation where a winning
player is placing bets with money that has been won from the casino.
Security
Traditionally, casinos have had a major
concentration on security. Large amounts of currency move through
a casino, tempting people to cheat the system. Security today
consists of cameras located throughout the property operated by
highly trained individuals who attempt to locate cheating and
stealing by both players and employees.
 |
| The Atrium at the
Crown Casino, Melbourne, Australia. |
Modern casino security is usually divided
between a physical security force, which patrols the casino floor
and responds to calls for assistance and reports of criminal and/or
suspicious activities, and a specialized surveillance department,
that operates the casino's closed circuit television (CCTV) system
in an effort to detect any misconduct by both guests and employees
alike. Both of these specialized casino security departments work
very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests
and the casino's assets.
|
|
|
