A casino is a place where people can gamble on games of chance. While musical shows, lighted fountains and restaurants draw customers in, the billions of dollars in profits raked in by casinos come from gambling on blackjack, roulette, craps, poker and slot machines.
Although gambling has likely been going on since recorded history, the modern casino as a venue for gambling did not develop until the 16th century. That was when a gambling craze swept Europe and Italian aristocrats began hosting private parties called ridotti in their homes. Although these were technically gambling establishments, they did not offer the variety of games and services that characterize the modern casino.
The modern casino is a complex structure that relies on a large number of employees to operate smoothly. Security is an especially important component of the casino. Employees at table games monitor patrons for blatant cheating and are trained to quickly detect any deviation from the expected patterns in betting behavior that could signal a cheating ploy. Casinos also employ a number of technological measures to monitor games and the patrons who play them. For example, poker tables feature chips with built-in microcircuitry that allow the house to see exactly how much money is being wagered minute by minute; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored so that suspicious erratic spins can be quickly detected.
Despite all these security measures, some cheating and stealing do occur at casinos. The most common offenders are patrons who collude with each other or independently to steal from the casino, either by altering or switching chips, cards or dice. In addition to the physical security force that patrols the floor, most casinos have a specialized surveillance department with cameras placed throughout the facility. This eye-in-the-sky system allows the surveillance team to monitor every table, window and doorway from a control room filled with banks of security monitors.