The movie Casino lays bare the seedier side of Las Vegas, where mobster-style characters mingle with wealthy businessmen and women. But it also captures the excitement of playing at tables and attempting to beat the odds at slots. It’s an exciting and often dangerous place where champagne glasses clink and a sense of heightened energy fills the air.

Gambling is an extremely competitive business, and casinos make their money by encouraging players to spend as much time as possible at the table or slot machine. They are not charitable organizations giving away free money, as many believe. Each game has a built-in mathematical expectancy that makes it impossible for patrons to win more than the house. This is why casinos must be so careful to protect their reputations and the integrity of their operations.

Security starts on the gambling floor, where casino employees keep an eye out for blatant cheating like palming, marking, and switching dice or cards. Pit bosses and table managers watch the games with a broader view, looking for betting patterns that may signal collusion or theft.

But even with a strong security system, a casino is not an entirely risk-free environment. It is common for patrons to lose large amounts of money, and the competition from non-gambling resorts, online gambling, private gaming rooms, and illegal gambling businesses makes it an intensely competitive industry. This is why casino management focuses on making the casino experience fun and appealing to encourage gamblers to return again and again.