A casino or gambling house is an establishment where people can gamble. Casinos are also known as gaming rooms, chinese gambling houses, or jinbao. Casinos may be located in cities or on islands. They may offer various games, including baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker, and video poker. Some casinos also have restaurants and bars. Many casinos are combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues. Some casinos specialize in specific types of gambling, such as keno or horse racing.
Because of the large amount of money involved, casinos are prone to robbery and other crimes. Therefore, casinos have to take various precautions to prevent this. One way is to employ security cameras throughout the facility. Another way is to monitor the activities of patrons and employees.
Computer technology has greatly increased the monitoring of games and other events within casinos. For example, in some casinos the chips have a built-in microcircuit that interacts with systems to oversee exactly how much is wagered minute-by-minute; in others, the roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to detect any statistical deviation from expected results.
Many casinos give out complimentary goods or services to players (known as comps). These can include free hotel rooms, meals, shows, limo service, or even airline tickets. Some casinos use a system of point accumulation to award comps. These points can be exchanged for cash or other prizes. Critics of casinos argue that the revenue they bring in diverts spending from other sources and hurts local economies, as well as reducing property values in casino areas. They further contend that the costs of treating problem gambling and lost productivity from addicts outweigh any economic benefits the casinos provide.
