When you walk into a twinkly, noisy casino, it can feel like the kind of place where the dice are hot and Lady Luck is on your side. But don’t be fooled. Gambling is a business and it takes billions of dollars in wagers to keep the doors open and the lights on. And the casinos aren’t shy about using technology to improve their odds of winning and keeping people gambling.
The most basic tool in a casino’s arsenal is math. Every game has a certain mathematical probability against it winning, which is called the house edge. The size of this advantage varies by game but it keeps the casino from losing money to gamblers over time. And it’s no accident that the games with a higher house edge are typically located in more visible and high-traffic areas of the floor, luring people in with their bright lights and enticing sounds.
In addition to math, casinos rely on cameras and computers to help keep patrons from cheating and stealing. Elaborate surveillance systems give staff a bird’s-eye view of the entire casino, allowing them to spot suspicious behavior instantly. And a computer in every slot machine watches and tracks the results of every spin, alerting staff to any statistical deviations. In fact, the entire casino is wired to monitor each individual game, from betting chips that have built-in microcircuitry to roulette wheels that are electronically monitored regularly. But even with these technologies, something about the atmosphere of a casino seems to encourage people to cheat, steal or scam. And studies indicate that casinos actually hurt local economies by pulling spending away from other forms of entertainment and reducing property values in nearby neighborhoods.