Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Las Vegas Strip is renowned for its high concentration of casino resort hotels
A casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. The
industry that deals in casinos is called the gaming industry. Casinos are most commonly built near
or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. There
is much debate over whether the social and economic consequences of casino gambling outweigh
the initial revenue that may be generated. [1] Some casinos are also known for hosting live
entertainment events, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sporting events.
Contents
3Gambling in casinos
4Design
5Markets
o 5.1By region
o 5.2By markets
o 5.3By company
o 5.4Significant sites
6Security
7Business practices
8Crime
9Gallery
10See also
11References
12External links
The precise origin of gambling is unknown. It is generally believed that gambling in some form or
another has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to
Napoleon's France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment
based on games of chance.
The first known European gambling house, not called a casino although meeting the modern
definition, was the Ridotto, established in Venice, Italy in 1638 by the Great Council of Venice to
provide controlled gambling during the carnival season. It was closed in 1774 as the city government
felt it was impoverishing the local gentry.[10]
In American history, early gambling establishments were known as saloons. The creation and
importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities: New Orleans, St.
Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to,
drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in America, gambling became
outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931,
gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada. America's first legalized casinos were set up
in those places. In 1976 New Jerseyallowed gambling in Atlantic City, now America's second largest
gambling city.
Gambling in casinos[edit]
Slot machines in Atlantic City. Slot machines are a standard attraction of casinos
Most jurisdictions worldwide have a minimum gambling age (16 to 21 years of age in most countries
which permit the operation of casinos).[11]
Customers gamble by playing games of chance, in some cases with an element of skill, such
as craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and video poker. Most games played have mathematically
determined odds that ensure the house has at all times an overall advantage over the players. This
can be expressed more precisely by the notion of expected value, which is uniformly negative (from
the player's perspective). This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where
players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake. Casinos sometimes
give out complimentary items or comps to gamblers.
Payout is the percentage of funds ("winnings") returned to players.
Casinos in the United States say that a player staking money won from the casino is playing with the
house's money.
Video Lottery Machines (slot machines) have become one of the most popular forms of gambling in
casinos. As of 2011 investigative reports have started calling into question whether the modern-day
slot-machine is addictive.[12]
Design[edit]
Casino design—regarded as a psychological exercise—is an intricate process that involves
optimising floor plan, décor and atmospherics to encourage gambling. [13]
Factors influencing gambling tendencies include sound, odour and lighting. Natasha Dow Schüll, an
anthropologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, highlights the decision of the audio
directors at Silicon Gaming to make its slot machines resonate in "the universally pleasant tone of C,
sampling existing casino soundscapes to create a sound that would please but not clash". [14]
Dr Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago,
studied the impact of certain scents on gamblers, discerning that a pleasant albeit unidentifiable
odour released by Las Vegas slot machines generated about 50% more in daily revenue. He
suggested that the scent acted as an aphrodisiac, causing a more aggressive form of gambling. [15]
Casino designer Roger Thomas is credited with implementing a successful, disruptive design for the
Las Vegas Wynn Resorts casinos in 2008. He broke casino design convention by introducing natural
sunlight and flora to appeal to women. Thomas put in skylights and antique clocks, defying the
commonplace notion that a casino should be a timeless space.[16]
Markets[edit]
The following lists major casino markets in the world with casino revenue of over US$1 billion as
published in PricewaterhouseCoopers's report on the outlook for the global casino market: [17]
By region[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve
this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template
message)
This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events
or newly available information. (August 2018)
Rank Region
2010 2011
2009
Projected Projected
By markets[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve
this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template
message)
This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events
or newly available information. (August 2018)
The Nevada Gaming Control Board divides Clark County, which is coextensive with the Las Vegas
metropolitan area, into seven market regions for reporting purposes.
Native American gaming has been responsible for a rise in the number of casinos outside of Las
Vegas and Atlantic City.
Security[edit]
Main article: Casino security
A sign at the Thousand Islands Casino
Given the large amounts of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted
to cheat and steal, in collusion or independently; most casinos have security measures to prevent
this. Security cameras located throughout the casino are the most basic measure.
Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force and a specialized
surveillance department. The physical security force usually patrols the casino and responds to calls
for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. A specialized surveillance
department operates the casino's closed circuit television system, known in the industry as the eye
in the sky. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other
to ensure the safety of both guests and the casino's assets, and have been quite successful in
preventing crime.[28] Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the casino floor, which
allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one way glass, on the activities at the
tables and slot machines.
When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full-time on all table games.
[29]
In addition to cameras and other technological measures, casinos also enforce security through
rules of conduct and behavior; for example, players at card games are required to keep the cards
they are holding in their hands visible at all times.
Business practices[edit]
Over the past few decades, casinos have developed many different marketing techniques for
attracting and maintaining loyal patrons. Many casinos use a loyalty rewards program used to track
players' spending habits and target their patrons more effectively, by sending mailings with free slot
play and other promotions.[30]
Crime[edit]
Casinos have been linked to organised crime, with early casinos in Las Vegas originally dominated
by the American Mafia[31][32] and in Macau by Triad syndicates.[33][34]
According to some police reports, incidences of reported crime often double and triple in
communities within three years of a casino opening.[35] In a 2004 report by the US Department of
Justice, researchers interviewed people who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines and
found that the percentage of problem or pathological gamblers among the arrestees was three to
five times higher than in the general population.[36]
It has been said that economic studies that show a positive relationship between casinos and crime
usually fail to consider the visiting population at risk when they calculate the crime rate in casino
areas. Such studies thus count the crimes committed by visitors, but do not count visitors in the
population measure, and this overstates the crime rates in casino areas. Part of the reason this
methodology is used, despite it leading to an overstatement of crime rates is that reliable data on
tourist count are often not available.[37]
Gallery[edit]
The Venetian in Paradise is also the headquarters of casino giant Las Vegas Sands.
The Venetian Macau in the Cotai Strip is the largest casino in the world, owned by Las Vegas Sands
Slot machines at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Gambling in Metro Manila has been regulated since 1976 when the Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) was created through Presidential Decree 1067. [1] Under its charter
promulgated in 1983, the 100% state-owned PAGCOR, running under the direct supervision of
the Office of the President, serves three crucial roles: to regulate and operate all games of chance in
the country, particularly casino gaming; generate funds for the government's infrastructure and
socio-civic projects; and boost local tourism.[2][3]
Prior to 1976, illegal gambling dominated the Philippines as unlicensed casinos and underground
bookmaking operations were opened across the country. Illegal forms of gambling included jueteng,
masiao and last two.[4] Among the few lawful gambling activities in those days were church-organised
bingo sessions and jai alai wagering at the Manila Jai Alai Building.[5]
In 1977, PAGCOR opened its first casino, The Manila Bay Casino, a floating casino which operated
in all three decks of luxury liner MS Philippine Tourist off Manila Bay in partnership with the
Philippine Casino Operators Corporation (PCOC) and Manila Bay Enterprises, Inc. (MBEI) which
was majority owned by the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau of casino
magnate, Stanley Ho.[6][7] When a fire gutted the ship in 1979, PAGCOR shifted its operations to land-
based casinos.[8] By the end of that year, the Philippine Village Hotel built in 1974 at the old Nayong
Pilipino complex adjacent to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) became home to the city's
first land-based casino.[7][9]
Contents
1Casino gambling
o 1.1Closed casinos
2Sports gambling
3Online gambling
4See also
5References
6External links
Casino gambling[edit]
Metro Manila currently has around twenty casinos, most of which are located near the Manila Bay
area and the NAIA airport in Parañaque.[10][11] Most casinos in the city are operated by PAGCOR
under the Casino Filipino brand. Gambling in Manila now takes place primarily in luxury casino
hotels and integrated resorts located in Entertainment City and Newport City under license from
PAGCOR.[12]
The Casino Filipino Pavilion at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion (former Holiday Inn Manila Pavilion) is
Manila's oldest surviving casino which opened in 1986. [13] The city's largest stand-alone casino was
Casino Filipino Airport housed in the PRIC Building on Ninoy Aquino Avenueformerly occupied by
Duty Free Philippines until 1997 but was closed down in July 2014. [8][14][15] In 2009, Resorts World
Manila, the Philippines' first integrated resort, was built on a portion of Villamor Air
Base in Pasay across from NAIA Terminal 3. The city's newest casino is the $2.4-B Okada
Manila completed in December 2016 in Entertainment City, the third of four billion-dollar casinos to
rise in Manila's gaming strip.[16]
Current casinos[11]
Hotel
Lancaster Hotel Ortigas Center Mandaluyong Casino Filipino VIP Club
casino
Madison Square
Hotel
Garden Hotel & Barangka Ilaya Mandaluyong Casino Filipino VIP Club
casino
Casino
Manila Grand
Hotel
Opera Hotel and Santa Cruz City of Manila
casino
Casino
Card
Metro Card Club Ortigas Center Pasig
room
New World Manila Hotel Formerly Hyatt Regency Hotel & Casino
Malate City of Manila
Bay Hotel & Casino casino Manila
Resorts World
Newport City Pasay Resort The first integrated resort in the Philippines
Manila
Waterfront Manila
Hotel Formerly Manila Hilton / Holiday Inn Manila
Pavilion Hotel & Ermita City of Manila
casino Pavilion
Casino
Current casinos[11]
Closed casinos[edit]
Casino Filipino Airport (closed 2014)[15]
Casino Filipino Heritage Hotel (closed 2013)[19]
Grand Boulevard Hotel & Casino, formerly Silahis International Hotel (closed 2008) [20]
Philippine Village Hotel Casino (closed 2001)[21]
Manila Bay Casino (closed 1979)[8]
Sofitel casino (closed 2017)
Sports gambling[edit]
See also: Horseracing in the Philippines
Sports betting has a long history in the Philippines. Popular forms of legalized sports gambling
include betting on cockfighting, jai alai and horseracing. Sabong, as how cockfighting is known
locally, has been hugely popular even prior to Spanish colonization in 1521. It was legalized and
regulated in the early 18th century as a source of revenue for the Spanish colonial government. In
1854, the Tondo cockpit in Manila generated as much as 80,000 Mexican silver dollars for the
government. By 1861, a new series of regulations were passed which permitted it to be held on
Sundays and holidays, including town fiestas.[22][23] The sport remains popular today and is regulated
by the Philippine Gamefowl Commission created in 1981 under the Games and Amusement Board.
[24]
The Games and Amusement Board also regulates jai alai and horseracing operations as well as off-
track bookmaking stations in the country. Jai alai was first introduced in the Philippines in 1899 with
some of the earlier games played in the Casino Español de Manila. In 1939, the games shifted to
the Manila Jai Alai Building.[25] Jai alai was temporarily banned in 1986 because of problems
with game fixing. The building was subsequently torn down in 2000. [26] By March 2010, however, jai
alai returned to the country with the games now being played in a fronton in Santa Ana, Cagayan.[27]
Betting on other competitive sports such as boxing, basketball, football and tennis is also possible
through licensed sportsbook MegaSportsWorld that has several branches in Metro Manila and a
telephone service.[28]
Online gambling[edit]
PAGCOR operates 102 e-Games stations throughout Metro Manila. [29] An e-Games station is an
internet café that allows customers to play casino games online. [30] In addition, there are 12 e-Games
sites in the metropolis operated by BigGame, Inc. (BGI), a subsidiary of PhilWeb Corporation, under
license from PAGCOR.[31] As of August 10, 2016, the e-Games outlets operated by PhilWeb were
closed following the non-renewal of its license by PAGCOR. [32]
These are casinos and highly exclusive slot machine VIP clubs located in major cities across the
country. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) operates most of casinos and
slot machine clubs in the Philippines.
Contents
1Luzon
o 1.1Central Luzon
o 1.2Metro Manila
o 1.3Calabarzon
2Visayas
o 2.1Western Visayas
o 2.2Central Visayas
3Mindanao
o 3.1Soccsksargen
o 3.2Davao
o 3.3Cagayan De Oro
4See also
5References
Luzon[edit]
Central Luzon[edit]
City of Dreams Manila is a luxury integrated resort & casino at Entertainment City, featuring world-
class gaming, entertainment, award-winning hotels & restaurants and premier shopping. It is a 6.2-
hectare world-class integrated resort and casino complex located on the Entertainment City gaming
strip at Aseana Avenue and Roxas Boulevard in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Metro Manila[edit]
Main article: List of casinos in Manila
Calabarzon[edit]
Visayas[edit]
Western Visayas[edit]
Central Visayas[edit]