A casino is a gambling establishment where people can bet money and play games of chance. Most gamblers are aware that the house has an advantage, but they keep betting anyway, hoping to win some of their money back. Many casinos use a variety of tricks to draw in customers and keep them gambling. These include bright and sometimes gaudy colors in the floor and walls, music tuned to a specific musical key that is pleasing to the ear, and flashing lights and clanging bells that attract attention. Casinos also employ high-tech surveillance systems that allow security personnel to monitor every table, window and doorway in a large room filled with banks of security cameras.
Casinos are a major source of revenue for some states, and they provide jobs for more than 150,000 workers across the country. They make the most profit from the highest-stakes players, who may bet tens of thousands of dollars on a single game. These high-rollers are often pampered with free meals, room service and luxury suites.
The average casino patron is a forty-six-year-old female from a family with above-average incomes. This demographic makes up 23% of the population who visits casinos, according to 2005 data from Roper Reports GfK NOP and the U.S. Gaming Panel from TNS. Other frequent visitors are older adults, who have more vacation time and discretionary spending than younger people. The average household income of a casino visitor is $53,000, but the median is $47,000.