A casino, or gambling house, is an establishment for playing various games of chance. These games are usually played with cards or dice and are often accompanied by food and drink. Most casinos also offer a range of other entertainment options, such as sports events, theatre performances and concerts. Some casinos have hotels, while others are located in shopping malls or on cruise ships.
A typical casino features a gaming floor containing a variety of games such as roulette, blackjack, and video poker. Most of these games have mathematically determined odds that give the house an advantage over the players, which is known as the house edge. The casino makes money by taking a percentage of the total bets made, or by charging a flat fee per hour. Some casinos even give out complimentary items or comps to attract gamblers.
Casinos often draw in wealthy patrons who can afford to make large wagers, and thus contribute greatly to their profits. They are also a major source of employment in many communities. However, economic studies indicate that the social costs of problem gambling—including lost productivity and treatment of addictions—more than offset any positive financial impact from casinos.
Casino security begins on the floor, where employees watch over the games and the patrons. In some cases, a pit boss oversees the table games, watching for suspicious betting patterns and observing the behavior of the players to detect cheating or collusion. Elaborate surveillance systems provide a high-tech “eye in the sky” with cameras that can be adjusted to focus on certain patrons by workers in a separate room filled with banks of monitors.