The Casino – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Whether you like to hit the slots, place bets at the roulette table or throw dice with friends, casinos are one of the best places to satisfy a gambling itch. Many casinos also feature other attractions, including great food and drinks. But the truth is that there’s no guarantee you will win. As a business, casinos have built-in advantages that ensure that the house will always come out ahead. That’s why they spend so much time, effort and money on security.
Casinos have a long history. Some form of gambling was popular in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. In the modern era, casino games have become a major source of entertainment for people around the world. In addition to the traditional table games and slot machines, many casinos offer other types of gambling, such as poker and horse racing. Casinos are often located in urban areas, with large resorts and hotels, or on cruise ships.
The history of the casino has been marred by scandal and crime. In the early 1950s, organized crime figures funded several new casinos in Reno and Las Vegas, despite gambling being illegal in most states. The mobsters also controlled the bankrolls for some of the most popular games, and they manipulated the results of others. They also influenced the payouts of some slot machines.
Today, casinos use sophisticated technology to monitor their patrons and their activities. For example, the chips in some table games have a microcircuit that allows them to communicate with electronic systems that monitor the exact amounts wagered minute-by-minute. Roulette wheels are electronically monitored to discover any statistical deviations from their expected results. Casinos also have elaborate surveillance systems, where cameras are positioned to watch every table, window and doorway. They can be shifted to focus on suspicious patrons by security workers in a room filled with banks of security monitors.
Besides their use of technology, casinos also promote themselves with free goods and services. They reward big players with comps that can include free hotel rooms, dinner, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets. These rewards are based on how much the player bets and how long they play. To get a comp, you must ask a casino employee or visit the information desk.
If you’re in the mood for some gambling, there are plenty of casinos near Nashville. The closest is Tropicana Evansville in Indiana, which opened in 2017. It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Nashville. It was formerly a riverboat and was transformed into a land-based casino when Indiana changed its gaming laws. Another option is the Shelbyville Horseshoe in Indianapolis, which opened in 2017 and has a Las Vegas-style design. It is also known for live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. It’s also a short drive from the downtown area.