A casino, also known as a gaming establishment, is a gambling facility that offers customers games of chance. These include table games, such as blackjack and roulette, and slot machines. Some casinos also offer poker or other card games in which players compete against each other. In the United States, a casino is usually a privately owned and operated business. Its operations are legal under state law.
A casino’s profitability depends on the number of people it attracts and the amount they spend. To maximize profits, casinos employ a wide variety of marketing strategies. They advertise in newspapers and on television, and host events such as concerts and sporting contests. They also use a range of other incentives to encourage patrons to gamble, including free shows and food.
Security is another crucial aspect of a casino’s operation. Employees closely monitor game play and patrons to spot cheating or unusual betting patterns. Many casinos now use technology to help ensure fairness, such as chips with built-in microcircuitry that allow casinos to track bets minute by minute; and electronic tables where players place their bets by pushing buttons.
The typical casino patron is a middle-aged woman with above-average income who has significant discretionary spending money to spare. According to a 2005 survey by Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gambling Panel by TNS, the majority of casino patrons are forty-six years old and female. These older adults have the most available spending money and vacation time.