In the world of gambling, few places are more famous than a casino. Whether you want to hit the slot machines, throw some dice at a table or put on your best poker face, casinos are the place to go to scratch that gambling itch. And, nowadays, you don’t have to travel all the way to Vegas to get your fix – there are plenty of options right here in the Chicago area.
The exact origin of casino is unknown, but there is evidence that gambling in some form has been around for thousands of years. Ancient Mesopotamia, Rome, Greece and Elizabethan England all had forms of gambling. Modern casinos began in the early 20th century, when Nevada passed a law legalizing gambling in an effort to boost the economy in rural areas. The first casinos were often combined with hotels, resorts and restaurants or were located on American Indian reservations that were not subject to state laws prohibiting casino gambling.
Today’s casinos offer more than just the chance to win big money, though. They are designed to appeal to the senses with glitzy interiors and amenities. Casinos also use technology to monitor and supervise games. For example, in “chip tracking,” betting chips with built-in microcircuitry interact with electronic systems that allow the casinos to know exactly how much is being wagered minute by minute, and roulette wheels are regularly monitored to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results.