A casino, also known as a gambling hall or a gaming house, is an establishment where people can play games of chance or skill for money. Successful casinos bring in billions of dollars a year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that run them. In addition, the games of chance played in casinos provide revenue for state and local governments through taxes, fees, and other payments. In some countries, casinos are also located at racetracks and on boats or barges on waterways.
The modern casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, with the vast majority of its entertainment (and profits) coming from gambling. Nonetheless, there are many other amenities, such as restaurants, bars, lighted fountains, shops, and musical shows. Casinos reward their most loyal customers by giving them “comps,” or free goods and services, such as meals, hotel rooms, show tickets, and limo service. These comps are given to players who spend large amounts of time and money at the table or slot machines.
Originally, organized crime figures provided the funds for casinos in Reno and Las Vegas. But as mob money began to dry up, real estate developers and hotel chains with deep pockets took over, buying out the gangsters and making the casinos legitimate business enterprises. The mobsters, meanwhile, turned to other types of criminal activities. Today, federal crackdowns and the possibility of losing a casino license at the slightest hint of mob involvement keep the Mafia away from its old gambling cash cows.