A casino is a place where gambling activities take place. It’s more than that, though; casinos add a host of luxuries to help draw people in and keep them playing, like restaurants, free drinks and stage shows. They also have security staff to watch for cheating and other fraud concerns. They’re even equipped with an “eye-in-the-sky” surveillance system that monitors every table, change window and doorway from a room filled with banks of security monitors.
Casinos can be a lot of fun and can make you lots of money, but they’re also a major source of income for cities and states across the world. They have a high minimum age to play, usually 21 in the United States and 18 in most European countries, and many casinos have strict rules about smoking and drinking. Some will even take your photo to confirm that you’re of legal age to gamble.
You can’t change cash into casino chips at the tables; that’s done in the cashier’s cage. You can, however, ask the dealer to color up your casino chips for you. This will change a group of smaller-denomination chips into larger ones to make it easier to carry them to the cashier’s cage. This is done to help customers manage their casino credit and avoid losing too much at the tables. Casinos don’t let employees gamble on the premises; if you work in the hotel, foodservice, spa or golf course, you can’t play at the casino.