The elegant spa town of Baden-Baden first lured royalty and European aristocracy to its casinos 150 years ago. These days the casino draws visitors from across the globe seeking a taste of luxury and fun. But it’s not all about the gambling, even though that accounts for the bulk of the billions of dollars that casinos rake in each year.
The casino is a big business that takes major steps to ensure that fraud and other illegal activity do not occur. Employees watch every table, game window and doorway from a room filled with banks of security monitors. They can adjust the cameras to zoom in on specific patrons and sift through the data looking for suspicious behavior. They also check IDs for everyone who enters, watch for counterfeit money and make sure that people are of legal age.
Another thing that makes a casino a big business is the fact that every game has a built-in advantage for the house. This advantage is known as the house edge. As such, the casino can be confident that it will make money on each game it offers. This virtual assurance of gross profit is why casinos offer high-stakes players comps in the form of free hotel rooms, dinners and tickets to shows.
It may be hard to believe, but there are some things that a casino does not want you to know. For example, a lot of the tables in a casino are painted red to create an illusion that other players are winning. This can psychologically make you think that your odds are better than they really are. The bright and sometimes gaudy carpeting in a casino is also by design. Research has shown that it keeps players alert and playing.
