Casinos: The house always wins, but the investor may not

IF YOU think of casinos as indoor theme parks for adults, then you probably won't go too far wrong. But instead of rollercoasters and spinning teacups, the thrills that casino customers are likely to experience are slot machines that could, if they are lucky, spit out buckets of change, or howls of delight as a blackjack croupier draws a card and goes spectacularly bust.

But casinos are not only about games of chance. Many casinos have deliberately diversified their businesses to include shopping malls, theatres, hotels, restaurants and bars.

However, their main source of revenue still comes from games that include the spin of a wheel, the throw of a dice or the turn of a card. Gambling can account for between 50 per cent and 90 per cent of their total revenues.