A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. It is one of the most popular forms of gambling around the world. Casinos are not only large buildings with a lot of different types of gambling tables, but they also offer hotels, restaurants and even shopping malls.
The word casino comes from Italian and means little house. The first casinos were small private clubs where wealthy Italians met to gamble. The popularity of the idea spread throughout Europe when countries like France began to legalize gambling.
In the early days of the casino industry, mobster money helped bankroll many casinos. But because the mafia was involved in drug trafficking, extortion and other illegal activities, the mobster casinos were often dirty and dangerous. Legitimate businessmen with deep pockets soon realized how much money they could make by cleaning up the image of the casinos. They started buying out the mobsters and providing their own capital.
Today’s casinos are not only choosy about who they accept as customers, but they also provide special perks to high rollers. These perks include free luxury suites and lavish personal attention. Some casinos are even willing to send a private jet for high rollers so they can avoid waiting in lines at the buffet or other amenities.
There are more than 1,000 casinos in the United States and hundreds more worldwide. They range from opulent Las Vegas mega-casinos to small neighborhood ones. They compete not only with each other but also with non-gambling resorts, on-line gaming and an illegal gambling business that is growing faster than the legal one.