A casino is a place where people play games of chance and win or lose money. The most famous casinos are located in Las Vegas, although there are a growing number in other cities and states. Some casinos are standalone facilities, while others are combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping or cruise ships. Casinos typically feature a wide variety of gambling activities, and some even have live entertainment.

While lighted fountains, musical shows and dramatic scenery help draw in patrons, casinos would not exist without the games of chance themselves. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and other games of chance account for the billions in profits raked in by casinos each year.

Something about the large amount of money that is handled within a casino environment encourages both patrons and employees to cheat and steal. This is why casinos invest so much time, effort and money into security. Cameras are a staple of casino security, and some casinos have elaborate systems that allow security personnel to monitor every table, window and doorway from a single room.

In the twenty-first century, casinos are choosier about whom they let gamble inside their premises. They prefer to attract high rollers who spend a lot of money, and they reward them with comps that can include free luxury suites and lavish personal attention. They also rely more on technology to prevent cheating and theft; for instance, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry are tracked minute by minute and monitored electronically, while roulette wheels are periodically examined for statistical deviations from expected results.