A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports.

and usage

''Casino'' is of Italian origin; the root means a house. The term ''casino'' may mean a small country villa, summerhouse, or

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

. During the 19th century, ''casino'' came to include other public buildings where pleasurable activities took place; such edifices were usually built on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo, and were used to host civic town functions, including dancing, gambling, music listening, and sports. Examples in Italy include Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia, and in the US the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. In modern-day Italian, a is a brothel (also called , literally "closed house"), a mess (confusing situation), or a noisy environment; a gaming house is spelt , with an

accent Accent may refer to: Speech and language * Accent (sociolinguistics), way of pronunciation particular to a speaker or group of speakers * Accent (phonetics), prominence given to a particular syllable in a word, or a word in a phrase ** Pitch ac ...

. Not all casinos are used for gaming. The Catalina Casino, on

Santa Catalina Island, California Santa Catalina Island ( xgf, Pimuu'nga or ; es, Isla Santa Catalina) is a rocky island off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island name is often shortened to Catalina Island or just Catalina. The island is l ...

, has never been used for traditional games of chance, which were already outlawed in California by the time it was built. The Copenhagen Casino was a Danish theatre which also held public meetings during the

1848 Revolution The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. In military and non-military usage, a (Spanish) or (German) is an officers'

mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

History of gambling houses

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. It is generally believed that gambling in some form or another has been seen in almost every society in history. From Ancient Mesopotamia, Greeks and Romans to Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on games of chance. The first known European gambling house, not called a casino although meeting the modern definition, was the

Ridotto Il Ridotto (Italian : "The Private Room") was a wing of Venice's Palazzo Dandolo near the church of San Moisè. In 1638, it was converted at the behest of Venice's city leaders into a government-owned gambling-house. Il Ridotto was the site of ...

, established in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy, in 1638 by the Great Council of Venice to provide controlled gambling during the carnival season. It was closed in 1774 as the city government felt it was impoverishing the local gentry. In American history, early gambling establishments were known as Western saloon, saloons. The creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities: New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in the US, gambling was outlawed by state legislation. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, where the US's first legalized casinos were set up. In 1976 New Jersey allowed gambling in Atlantic City, now the US's second largest gambling city.

Gambling in casinos

Most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age of 18 to 21. Customers gamble by playing casino game, games of chance, in some cases with an element of skill, such as craps, roulette, baccarat (card game), baccarat, blackjack, and video poker. Most games have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an advantage over the players. This can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative (from the player's perspective). This advantage is called the ''Casino game#House advantage, house edge''. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the Rake (poker), rake. Casinos sometimes give out complimentary items or Comps (casino), comps to gamblers. ''Payout'' is the percentage of funds ("winnings") returned to players. Casinos in the United States say that a player staking money won from the casino is ''playing with the house's money''. Video Lottery Machines (slot machines) have become one of the most popular forms of gambling in casinos. investigative reports have started calling into question whether the modern-day slot-machine is addictive.

Design

Casino design—regarded as a psychological exercise—is an intricate process that involves optimising floor plan, décor and atmospherics to encourage gambling. Factors influencing gambling tendencies include sound, odour and lighting. Natasha Dow Schüll, an anthropologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, highlights the decision of the audio directors at Silicon Gaming to make its slot machines resonate in "the universally pleasant tone of C, sampling existing casino soundscapes to create a sound that would please but not clash". Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, studied the impact of certain scents on gamblers, discerning that a pleasant albeit unidentifiable odor released by Las Vegas slot machines generated about 50% more in daily revenue. He suggested that the scent acted as an aphrodisiac, causing a more aggressive form of gambling.

Markets

The following lists major casino markets in the world with casino revenue of over US$1 billion as published in PricewaterhouseCoopers's report on the outlook for the global casino market:

By region

By markets

By company

According to Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg, accumulated revenue of the biggest casino operator companies worldwide amounted to almost US$55 billion in 2011. Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau, SJM Holdings Ltd. was the leading company in this field, earning $9.7 bn in 2011, followed by Las Vegas Sands, Las Vegas Sands Corp. at $7.4 bn. The third-biggest casino operator company (based on revenue) was Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Caesars Entertainment, with revenue of US$6.2 bn.

Significant sites

While there are casinos in many places, a few places have become well known specifically for gambling. Perhaps the place almost defined by its casino is Monte Carlo, but other places are known as gambling centers.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Monte Carlo Casino, located in Monte Carlo city, in Monaco, is a casino and a tourist attraction. Monte Carlo Casino has been depicted in many books, including Ben Mezrich's ''Busting Vegas'', where a group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students beat the casino out of nearly $1 million. This book is based on real people and events; however, many of those events are contested by main character Semyon Dukach. Monte Carlo Casino has also been featured in multiple James Bond novels and films. The casino is mentioned in the song "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (song), The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" as well as The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (film), the film of the same name.

Campione d'Italia

Casinò di Campione is located in the tiny Italy, Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia, within Canton of Ticino, Ticino, Switzerland. The casino was founded in 1917 as a site to gather information from foreign diplomats during the First World War. Today it is owned by the Italian government, and operated by the municipality. With gambling laws being less strict than in Italy and Switzerland, it is among the most popular gambling destination besides Monte Carlo. The income from the casino is sufficient for the operation of Campione without the imposition of taxes, or obtaining of other revenue. In 2007, the casino moved into new premises of more than , making it the largest casino in Europe. The new casino was built alongside the old one, which dated from 1933 and has since been demolished.

Malta

The archipelago of Malta is a particularly famous place for casinos, standing out mainly with the historic casino located at the princely residence of Dragonara Palace, Dragonara. Dragonara Palace was built in 1870. Its name comes from the Dragonara Point, the peninsula where it is built. On 15 July 1964, the palace opened as a casino.

Macau

The former Portuguese empire, Portuguese colony of Macau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China since 1999, is a popular destination for visitors who wish to gamble. This started in Portuguese times, when Macau was popular with visitors from nearby Hong Kong, where gambling was more closely regulated. The Venetian Macao is currently the largest casino in the world. Macau also surpassed Las Vegas as the largest gambling market in the world.

Germany

Machine-based gaming is only permitted in land-based casinos, restaurants, bars and gaming halls, and only subject to a licence. Online slots are, at the moment, only permitted if they are operated under a Schleswig-Holstein licence. AWPs are governed by federal law – the Trade Regulation Act and the Gaming Ordinance.

Portugal

The Casino Estoril, located in the municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera, near Lisbon, is the largest casino in Europe by capacity. During the World War II, Second World War, it was reputed to be a gathering point for spy, spies, dispossessed royal family, royals, and wartime adventurers; it became an inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond, James Bond 007 novel ''Casino Royale (novel), Casino Royale''.

Singapore

Singapore is an up-and-coming destination for visitors wanting to gamble, although there are currently only two casinos (both foreign owned), in Singapore. The Marina Bay Sands is the most expensive standalone casino in the world, at a price of US$8 billion, and is among the List of most expensive buildings in the world, world's ten most expensive buildings. The Resorts World Sentosa has the world's largest oceanarium.

Russia

There are 4 legal gaming zones in Russia: "Siberian Coin" (Altay), "Yantarnaya" (Kaliningrad region), "Azov-city" (Rostov region) and "Primorie" (Primorie region).

United States

Night aerial view, Las Vegas, Nevada, 04649u

With currently over 1,000 casinos, the United States has the largest number of casinos in the world. The number continues to grow steadily as more states seek to legalize casinos. 40 states now have some form of casino gambling. Interstate competition, such as gaining tourism, has been a driving factor to continuous legalization. Relatively small places such as Las Vegas are best known for gambling; larger cities such as Chicago are not defined by their casinos in spite of the large turnover. The Las Vegas Valley has the largest concentration of casinos in the United States. Based on revenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey ranks second, and the Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago region third. Top American casino markets by revenue (2022 annual revenues): # LV Strip (Nevada gaming area), Las Vegas Strip $7.05 billion # Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic City $2.57 billion # Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago region $2.01 billion # Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area $2.00 billion # Mississippi Gulf Coast $1.61 billion # New York City $1.46 billion # Philadelphia $1.40 billion # Detroit $1.29 billion # St. Louis $1.03 billion # Boulder Strip $967 million # Reno-Sparks, Reno/Sparks $889 million # Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City $861 million # The Poconos $849 million # Lake Charles, Louisiana $843 million # Black Hawk/Central City $812 million # Downtown Las Vegas $731 million # Tunica/Lula $696 million # Cincinnati $655 million # Shreveport/Bossier City $646 million # Pittsburgh/Meadowlands Arena, Meadowlands $630 million The Nevada Gaming Control Board divides Clark County, Nevada, Clark County, which is coextensive with the Las Vegas metropolitan area, into seven market regions for reporting purposes. Native American gambling enterprises, Native American gaming has been responsible for a rise in the number of casinos outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Security

Given the large amounts of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat and steal, in collusion or independently; most casinos have security measures to prevent this. Security cameras located throughout the casino are the most basic measure. Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The physical security force usually patrols the casino and responds to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance department operates the casino's closed circuit television system, known in the industry as the Eye in the sky (camera), eye in the sky. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests and the casino's assets, and have been quite successful in preventing crime. Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one way glass, on the activities at the tables and slot machines. When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full-time on all table games. In addition to cameras and other technological measures, casinos also enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior; for example, players at card games are required to keep the cards they are holding in their hands visible at all times.

Business practices

Over the past few decades, casinos have developed many different marketing techniques for attracting and maintaining loyal patrons. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track players' spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot play and other promotions. Casino Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland, for example, donates all of its profits to charity.

Crime

Casinos have been linked to organised crime, with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated by the American Mafia and in Macau by Triad syndicates. According to some police reports, local incidence of reported crime often doubles or triples within three years of a casino's opening. In a 2004 report by the US Department of Justice, researchers interviewed people who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines and found that the percentage of problem or pathological gamblers among the arrestees was three to five times higher than in the general population. It has been said that economic studies showing a positive relationship between casinos and crime usually fail to consider the visiting population: they count crimes committed by visitors but do not count visitors in the population measure, which overstates the crime rate. Part of the reason this methodology is used, despite the overstatement, is that reliable data on tourist count are often not available.

Occupational health and safety

There are unique occupational health issues in the casino industry. The most common are from cancers resulting from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and musculoskeletal injury (MSI) from repetitive motion injuries while running table games over many hours.

Gallery

File:Casinò di Campione, night.jpg, Italy's Casinò di Campione, near Lugano, is the largest casino in Europe File:Leicester Square, London.jpg, The Empire, Leicester Square, Empire at Leicester Square in London also includes a casino File:Casino at RWS.jpg, Entrance to the casino at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore File:Galaxy Macau Night.jpg, The Galaxy Macau at night in Cotai, Macau File:Wynn 2 (2).jpg, Wynn Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, United States File:Casino-Funchal.jpg, The Casino da Madeira in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal File:Mikonkatu 19.jpg, The Casino Helsinki at night in Helsinki, Finland File:Marina Bay Sands in the evening - 20101120.jpg, View of the Marina Bay Sands in Marina Bay, Singapore, Marina Bay, Singapore File:Genting 01.jpg, The casino in Genting Highlands, Malaysia own by Genting Group File:The venetian macao outside night.jpg, The Venetian Macau in the Cotai Strip is the largest casino in the world, owned by Las Vegas Sands File:Casino de Monte-Carlo.jpg, View of the Monte Carlo Casino, Monaco File:MGM COTAI Macau.jpg, MGM Cotai owned by MGM Resorts International, located in Cotai, Macau File:Borgata_Slots,_Atlantic_City,_Feb_2016.jpg, Slot machines at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

References

External links

* {{Authority control Casinos, Gambling