A casino is a building where people gamble and play games of chance. The modern casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, but the vast majority of its entertainment (and profits for the owners) comes from gambling. While musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers help draw in the crowds, casinos would not exist without slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps and other games of chance. These games provide the billions in annual profits that allow casinos to splurge on elaborate hotels, towers, pyramids and replicas of famous landmarks.

Casinos earn their money by giving the house a mathematical advantage over players. The edge can be as low as two percent, but over millions of bets it adds up. It also allows casinos to offer big bettors extravagant inducements like free spectacular entertainment and transportation, luxury living quarters, free drinks, cigarettes while gambling and even discounted food and hotel rooms.

Something about casinos seems to encourage people to cheat, steal and scam their way into winning a jackpot. As a result, casinos devote a great deal of time, effort and money to security. In addition to a physical security force, most casinos have a specialized surveillance department that monitors the entire casino on closed circuit television. While the cameras are not designed to see cheating, it is easy for a trained eye to spot irregular betting patterns that could indicate improprieties.