Casinos generate billions of dollars in profits each year. While dazzling showrooms, lavish hotels and opulent bars help attract gamblers, the vast majority of casinos profits are derived from games of chance like slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno. The casino industry specializes in generating excitement, anticipating a winning streak and creating an adrenaline rush for its patrons.
Casino employees are trained to spot blatant cheating, such as palming and marking cards, and they watch players at table games with a hawk eye for betting patterns that could signal manipulation. Each game has a pit boss or manager who oversees the games with a broader perspective and can check to see that each dealer is adhering to the rules of the game.
The most profitable customers for a casino are its “high rollers.” These high-stakes gamblers often receive comps worth thousands of dollars, including free hotel rooms, dinners, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets if their play is deemed worthy by the casino’s management. In addition, these patrons are the source of a large portion of the gambling revenue that goes into local communities. Locals benefit from the jobs that casinos create and the money they bring in, and local businesses gain new customers who spend their money on goods and services. In many cases, these local revenues can offset the taxes that the casinos are required to pay and help bolster a city’s budget.