A casino, also called a gambling house or a gaming room, is an establishment where people can engage in various forms of gambling. Casinos offer a variety of games, including blackjack, poker, roulette, and slot machines. They may also have restaurants and other entertainment venues. Some casinos are combined with hotels and resorts, and some have racetracks. In the United States, the word casino usually refers to a large facility for a variety of gambling activities, but it may also be used to describe a smaller gaming establishment or a building where gambling is permitted.
A few decades ago, most casinos were full of mobster types like Sam “Ace” Rothstein (played by Robert Deniro in the film Casino). But today’s casinos are choosier about who they let gamble there. They tend to concentrate their investments on the “high rollers,” who spend much more than average. These high rollers often gamble in special rooms, separate from the main casino floor, where the stakes are in the tens of thousands of dollars. They are given special comps, such as free spectacular entertainment, luxurious living quarters, and reduced-fare transportation to and from the casino.
Many of the tricks that casinos use to persuade gamblers to keep playing come from psychology and behavioral economics. For example, dazzling lights and cheerful music help to create a manufactured euphoria. They also use the color red, which is thought to make people lose track of time. Many casinos also have no clocks on their walls, which is intended to keep gamblers from thinking about the passage of time.