Casino security starts on the casino floor, with employees keeping watch over the tables and patrons. Dealers and pit bosses monitor the table games and keep an eye out for betting patterns and blatant cheating. Depending on the casino, these employees may have an upper-level supervisor who keeps track of their activities.

The rules of the casino dictate which games a player can play. Some games give out a fixed percentage of the profits to the player. Other games, such as roulette, have different rules. In France, for example, a casino’s advantage cannot exceed one percent. American casinos, on the other hand, take a larger percentage. For instance, a $5 bet on red in roulette has a wager expectation of -0.263. That means the player will lose a quarter for every five dollars he bets.

Although casinos are a lucrative business, they can’t ignore the negative impact on communities. Gambling is an addictive behavior that can lead to addiction and damage individuals. Some studies show that five percent of casino patrons are addicted to gambling, and that they account for twenty-five percent of the casino’s total profits. Furthermore, many economists believe that casinos have negative effects on communities. Because they primarily attract local players, they shift spending away from other forms of local entertainment. Furthermore, the costs associated with the treatment and rehabilitation of problem gamblers can offset any economic gain from casinos.

The casino industry is heavily regulated. Some of these regulations are mathematical, while others are aimed at assuring fair play and payments to players. Because of this, executives of casinos must understand how these rules affect the expected payouts to players and the casino’s bottom line.