Security at a Casino

A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Although casinos have amenities such as restaurants, entertainment and shopping centers to draw in customers, the vast majority of their profits come from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno generate the billions of dollars in revenue that casinos rake in each year.

Unlike other gambling establishments, where the odds of winning are entirely left to chance, every game that a casino offers has a built in statistical advantage for the house. The size of that edge can vary from game to game but is always less than two percent. This gives the casino a virtual guarantee of gross profit and allows them to build extravagant hotels, fountains, pyramids, towers and replicas of famous landmarks.

While most people think of casinos as glamorous places where you can spend a lot of money, they also have their dark side. The crooked gamblers who cheat, steal and manipulate their way to a jackpot can make the experience anything but fun. This is why casinos devote a great deal of time, effort and money to security.

In addition to a physical security force, most casinos have a specialized surveillance department that watches over the gaming floor through closed circuit television. Observers can see blatant cheating like palming, marking or switching cards and dice. In addition, they can monitor wagering patterns that might indicate a crooked patron. In addition, employees at the tables are trained to watch for shady behavior.