Among the glittering cityscape of Macau, east Asia’s version of Vegas, Casino Lisboa stands out, crowned with the world’s largest LED dome made of more than a million lights. Inside, it lives up to the surface decadence, with 800 gaming tables and a thousand slots spread across large and elaborately decorated floors.
Every casino game gives a predictable long-term house advantage, but some casinos also earn money by charging a commission on certain games (eg poker), or by paying out winnings to a small percentage of all bettors (eg blackjack). Skilled players can eliminate the house edge through basic strategy or card counting.
With millions of dollars in bets handled daily, casinos are prime targets for fraud, either by employees or patrons. Security measures include cameras and electronic systems that monitor bets minute by minute, and roulette wheels are electronically monitored to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results.
Gambling is big business globally, and casinos exist in almost every country that permits it. Some are opulent and grand, like the Monte-Carlo casino in Monaco, which opened in 1863 and still draws royalty and aristocracy from across Europe. Others are more modest, with a few hundred slot machines and table games in an old converted church or warehouse. In either case, the casino is usually a centerpiece of the local entertainment scene.