A casino is a gambling establishment where people gamble money or other items of value against each other in games of chance. Casinos also offer other forms of entertainment like shows and dining. Some famous casinos include the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the Monte Carlo in Monaco and the City of Dreams in Macau.
There are many security measures taken by casinos to protect their guests and employees. Cameras monitor the entire building, paper shredders and protective document boxes keep customer records secure and a whole host of other equipment is used to help protect the property. Casinos spend a lot of time, effort and money on security because something about gambling encourages cheating, theft and other nefarious behavior.
One of the most interesting things about a casino is how much security is involved. For example, you’ll notice that there are no clocks on the casino floor. This is because the casino wants you to lose track of time so that you’ll play for longer and spend more money. In fact, some casinos even prohibit dealers from wearing watches!
During the casino boom in the 1950s, organized crime provided the cash to make casinos profitable. Mafia members controlled casino operations and made money from both legal gambling and illegal rackets such as drug dealing, extortion and prostitution. These mobsters became heavily invested in the casinos of Reno and Las Vegas, taking sole or partial ownership in some and even threatening casino workers.