According to the American Gaming Association, about 51 million people–a quarter of the country’s population over 21–visited a casino in 2002. They range from the megaresorts of Las Vegas and Atlantic City to illegal pai gow parlors in New York’s Chinatown. Casinos are not simply places to gamble; they’re also entertainment venues, a source of food and beverage sales, and a means of raising money for charities.

Casinos make their money by offering games of chance with a built in advantage for the house. The house edge can be a small percentage of the total amount wagered, but it adds up over millions of bets and earns casinos enough money to build elaborate hotels, fountains, pyramids, towers and replicas of famous landmarks. Casinos are brightly lit to stimulate the senses of sight and sound and encourage gambling by making players lose track of time. They often use the color red to entice gamblers.

Casinos often reward “good” gamblers with free rooms, meals and tickets to shows. They even offer limo service and airline tickets to high rollers. These patrons are usually older than average, female and wealthy; they tend to spend more time gambling and more money at the tables than do other patrons. But the vast majority of casinos are not exclusive clubs for the elite; they are open to anyone who can afford to play. Gamblers also tend to be more gullible and less trustworthy than the general population, leading to an increase in cheating, stealing and scamming.