A casino, or gambling house, is an establishment that offers games of chance for patrons. These games may be played in massive resorts or small card rooms. Some casinos offer a combination of gaming and other entertainment, such as live music or comedy shows. Some states have regulated casinos; others prohibit them or limit their locations to tribal lands. In the United States, casinos are operated by private companies, local governments and some Native American tribes.
While a casino provides many types of entertainment and can be a fun place to visit, its real purpose is to make money for the people who own or operate it. In addition to the billions of dollars in profits that casinos bring in each year, they also provide a variety of jobs and generate tax revenues.
Casinos employ a wide range of security measures to deter theft and cheating. Many of these involve cameras, both visible and hidden. The cameras can be used to track the movements of players at table games and to discover any abnormalities. Casinos also have electronic systems for monitoring the exact amount of money being wagered minute-by-minute, and roulette wheels are electronically monitored to quickly discover any statistical deviation from their expected results.
While some casinos are primarily entertainment centers, others cater to high-stakes gamblers who can spend tens of thousands of dollars in one sitting. These high rollers are often given special rooms away from the main floor where they can gamble without affecting the profits of other patrons and the average payout of the slot machines.
