Casinos earn billions of dollars a year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that own and operate them. They rake in even more money for state and local governments through taxes, fees, and other payments. And, of course, they attract gamblers who spend that money.

Like all businesses, casinos are in business to make a profit. They strive to achieve this goal by enticing gamblers with stimulating atmospheres, customer service, and perks. Some casinos even boast of their fame and history, such as the world’s oldest casino, the Casino di Venezia in Italy, which opened in 1638.

In the 1970s, Las Vegas casinos used to promote their cheap rooms and free shows in order to draw in large crowds of gamblers and maximize revenues. Today, they are choosier in their offers and often reward loyal players with free hotel rooms, free dinners, show tickets, and even limo service and airline tickets if they gamble for long periods of time and at high stakes.

Casinos also focus on security. They monitor patrons’ movements through the casino using video cameras and keep an eye out for cheating by observing betting patterns. Security personnel also watch over table games to ensure that dealers are not palming cards or marking dice. They may also spot other illegal activities, such as unauthorized entry into restricted areas. These security measures help the casinos maintain their clean image and squelch the seamy association that gambling has had with organized crime in the past.