A casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, but most of the profits (for its owners) come from games of chance. Slot machines, roulette, blackjack, craps and keno are the games that bring in billions of dollars for casinos each year. The casinos also make money by offering perks, known as comps, to gamblers who spend significant amounts of time at the tables or in the slot machines. These can include free hotel rooms, dinners and show tickets. They can even extend to limo service and airline tickets for high rollers.

Because casinos handle large sums of cash, they are prone to theft and fraud by patrons and staff members. This is why casinos devote a lot of resources to security.

Casinos try to design their buildings to give off an upscale image, especially when they are located in major tourist destinations. For example, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is designed to make its guests feel like Roman emperors and has hosted star-studded entertainment by Frank Sinatra, Liberace and others. The casino’s name, spelled Caesars rather than ‘Caesars,’ is a further attempt to emphasize its luxury theme.

In the 1950s mobsters provided much of the initial capital for Reno and Las Vegas casinos. Their mob connections and reputation for corruption gave them an advantage over legitimate businessmen who were wary of gambling’s seamy image. The mobsters often became personally involved in running the casinos and took sole or partial ownership.