When many people think of a casino, they envision one of the megaresorts in Las Vegas, a glitzy assemblage of games and entertainment. But casinos come in all sizes, and can be less flamboyant or more focused on particular types of gambling.
Casinos have always tried to lure gamblers with a variety of inducements, and have been successful in doing so. They offer food, drinks and other amenities to attract and keep patrons, and provide stage shows with elaborate scenery and dramatic lighting. They also employ a variety of technological measures to deter cheating and theft. Casinos use high-tech systems that monitor each bet made by a patron, and can detect if any bet is outside an expected range. They also use cameras to monitor the entire floor, and can be set to focus on specific suspicious patrons.
In the past, casinos largely relied on comps, or free goods and services, to draw big bettors. During the 1970s, Las Vegas casinos offered reduced-fare transportation, hotel rooms, meals and show tickets to encourage patrons to spend more money gambling. Today, casinos are much more choosy about whom they reward, and tend to concentrate their efforts on the high-stakes players who bring in most of the revenue. These high-rollers gamble in separate rooms, where their stakes can reach tens of thousands of dollars. They are given comps that can include luxury suites, car service and personal attention from staff members. They also get better odds on slots and table games, and often get special treatment from the floor managers.