A casino is a place where gambling takes place. It includes any establishment that offers games of chance for money, including slot machines, black jack, roulette, craps, keno and other popular casino games. Casinos are also places where entertainment is offered, such as live music and stage shows.
Casinos are often highly regulated and audited by state and federal authorities to ensure that they are operating fairly. They also employ a large staff to monitor patrons and prevent cheating. In addition, casinos use technology to supervise their games: for example, casino chips have microcircuitry that enables them to be tracked minute-by-minute; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to detect any statistical deviation from expected results.
Because of the large amounts of money that are handled within a casino, there is always the danger of both patrons and employees attempting to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. Because of this, all casinos have security measures in place. These range from basic security cameras to elaborate surveillance systems that provide a “eye-in-the-sky” view of every table, window and doorway, adjustable to focus on suspicious patrons.
In the United States, there are numerous legal land-based casinos, many of which are located in the Las Vegas valley and around Atlantic City. Many are owned by Indian tribes and are part of larger hotel and entertainment complexes. Gambling is a big part of American culture and many people enjoy visiting casino resorts to try their luck at winning some money.