A casino is a public place that offers a variety of games of chance and gambling. Some casinos add a variety of other luxuries to attract gamblers, such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows. But even a relatively plain establishment that offers only a few gambling games could still be called a casino.
Casinos make money by charging a percentage of each bet made on their games. This percentage, known as the house edge, can be very small (lower than two percent) but it adds up over millions of bets. It allows casinos to build lavish hotels, fountains and replicas of famous landmarks.
In recent years casinos have increased their use of technology to monitor patrons and games. For example, cameras in the ceiling allow security workers to watch every table, change window and doorway at a glance; electronic systems at the tables enable casinos to supervise the exact amounts placed minute by minute and quickly discover any statistical deviation; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored so that suspicious patterns can be detected.
The typical casino patron is a forty-six year old woman from a household with an above-average income. This demographic makes up 23% of all casino gamblers according to the 2005 National Profile Study by Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gaming Panel by TNS. To draw them in, casinos often offer perks such as free hotel rooms and meals, tickets to shows or even airline and limo service for high rollers.