A casino is a place where gambling activities take place. Some casinos also offer food and drinks to patrons. Some of them even have theaters for live entertainment.
Most people when they think of a casino imagine one of the megaresorts in Las Vegas, but casinos come in many sizes and do not need to be glitzy. They can be quite modest buildings that house only a few tables or they may be complex structures with many different types of gambling activities and dozens of games.
As the casino business expanded in Nevada in the 1950s, mobsters needed money to finance expansion and renovation. Legitimate businessmen, however, were reluctant to get involved in a venture that had the taint of being associated with organized crime. The mob, on the other hand, had plenty of cash from their drug dealing, extortion and other illegal rackets and were willing to invest it in casinos. As a result, they controlled the operations of a number of them and took sole or partial ownership of others.
In addition to the luxuries that they provide to their big bettors, casinos often offer lesser spenders free shows, meals, drink coupons and other amenities (compliments, or comps). The casinos track the spending habits of their patrons by using credit cards that are swiped when they play a game. The information is compiled and used to develop marketing and advertising strategies. It is also used to identify trends in gambling and comping.