Casinos are big business and make billions of dollars a year from gambling. Lighted fountains, shopping centers and elaborate hotels draw people in but it is games of chance that keep them there and bring in the cash. Slot machines, blackjack, poker, craps and baccarat all generate the millions of bets that earn casinos their vigorish or profit margin. This advantage may be less than two percent, but it adds up to enough to fund the giant hotels, pyramids and towers that have come to define the modern casino.
The casinos also require a lot of people to operate. They need security personnel to watch for counterfeit money, ID fraud and other security concerns. They need food and beverage managers to keep everyone fed and hydrated. They need staff to monitor high stakes card games and other activities. They need computer experts called gaming mathematicians to manage the statistics for all the different games.
Almost everything about the casino is designed to influence its visitors’ behavior. The games use chips instead of cash because that psychologically makes them think they aren’t playing with real money and encourages them to gamble more. The layout and decor are all carefully planned. The goal is to make the place feel welcoming and enticing, making the guests want to stay longer and return, even when they are losing money. This is why many casinos are located in tourist areas, like Las Vegas and Macau.