A casino (or gambling house) is an establishment offering certain types of chance-based games. A casino may be located on a cruise ship, in a hotel, or at an American Indian reservation. It may also offer other forms of entertainment, such as live theatre, music and sports. Casinos are operated by governments, private enterprises or tribes and are regulated by law.
Casinos are a source of entertainment for many, and make billions in profits each year. Although musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers draw visitors in, casinos would not exist without the games of chance. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette and craps, as well as keno, baccarat and other card games, provide the billions of dollars in casino revenues each year. Each game offers a built in advantage for the casino, which can be very small (less than two percent), but that edge, when added up over millions of bets, earns the casino a considerable profit.
With so much money changing hands, it is no wonder that casino security is such a big deal. Casino employees have learned to spot a variety of cheating, stealing and scamming attempts by looking for specific patterns in the way that people play the games. Casinos also employ a variety of technological measures and have staff who are dedicated to investigating any suspicious activity.
