A casino is a gambling establishment that allows patrons to gamble with cash or other types of money in games of chance. In addition to the usual table games such as blackjack and roulette, some casinos feature a wide range of poker games. Casinos are also found on some Native American reservations. The most famous gambling establishments are located in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but they can be found throughout the world.

Because large amounts of money are handled inside a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with each other or independently. For this reason casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security measures. Security personnel patrol the floors, watching for blatant cheating at tables and observing players to detect patterns of behavior that could signal cheating. Cameras mounted on the ceiling offer a “eye-in-the-sky” view of the entire casino floor, and can be directed to focus on specific suspicious patrons.

In addition to monitoring game play, a casino employs mathematicians and computer programmers who specialize in game theory and mathematical analysis to help establish house edges and variance for individual games. This information is crucial for a casino to calculate expected profits and losses and to determine how much money it needs in the way of cash reserves.

In order to attract and keep customers, some casinos offer complimentary goods or services. These are often given to high-spending players, referred to as comps. They may include free drinks, meals, hotel rooms or tickets to shows.