A casino, or gambling house, is a place where people can gamble on games of chance for money. Some casinos offer a wide range of gambling activities, from traditional table games like poker and blackjack to modern electronic gaming machines. Many of these casinos also feature top-rated restaurants, luxury hotels, and exciting live entertainment shows.
Located in the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden, this upscale European casino has been attracting royalty and aristocrats from across Europe since its opening 150 years ago. In fact, German actress Marlene Dietrich once famously declared it “the most beautiful casino in the world”. Today, guests can enjoy its red-and-gold poker rooms and roulette and blackjack tables alongside 130 slot machines.
Although some games of chance involve an element of player skill (such as poker and the various card-based games), most casino games have a mathematically determined house edge that favors the casino over the long term. This advantage, sometimes called the expected value or expected return on investment, is computed by mathematicians and computer programmers who work for the casino.
Because a large amount of money is handled within casinos, security measures are often employed to prevent cheating and stealing by patrons and employees alike. These can include video cameras and other technological devices, as well as rules of conduct and behavior. In addition, most casinos employ staff members whose job it is to enforce these rules. In many cases, a casino’s security personnel are highly trained to detect deception by observing body language and other nonverbal cues.
