A casino is a building or room where people can gamble and play games of chance. Casinos are often decorated in bright colors to stimulate and cheer patrons, and they may offer food and drink. Some casinos specialize in certain kinds of gambling, such as baccarat, blackjack, poker, and roulette. In the twenty-first century, many casinos focus their investments on high rollers who spend large sums of money. These players are often given gifts or comps (free items) worth thousands of dollars, such as luxury suites and personal attention from staff.
Most casino games have a built in advantage for the house, which is mathematically determined and sometimes called the “house edge”. This advantage can be very small, but over time it adds up to billions of dollars in profits for the casino industry. In table games such as baccarat, chemin de fer, craps and blackjack the house makes its profit by taking a percentage of each bet placed. In games where the players compete against each other, such as poker, the house makes its profits through a commission known as the rake.
Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, there is the potential for patrons and staff to cheat or steal. For this reason, casinos invest a great deal of money in security. In addition to standard surveillance cameras, some casinos use technology that monitors the actual games themselves. For instance, in a game of roulette, microcircuitry in the betting chips interacts with electronic systems that oversee the exact amount wagered minute-by-minute so that any deviation from expected results can be quickly discovered.