A Casino is a place where people gamble on games of chance. It is the most popular form of gambling worldwide, with billions of dollars raked in each year by casinos in America alone. While lavish hotels, musical shows, shopping centers and other features attract visitors, it is the games of chance that keep them coming back. Slot machines, roulette, craps, keno and card games like poker, blackjack, and baccarat are the lifeblood of casinos, drawing in customers and generating profits for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that own and operate them.

Casinos use a variety of security measures to protect their patrons and assets. Security personnel patrol the floors, watching for blatant cheating such as palming or marking cards and dice, and keeping tabs on patterns of betting that might signal inequitable play. Casinos also use technology to monitor the games themselves. For example, chips with built-in microcircuitry allow the casinos to track exactly how much is wagered minute by minute; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored on a regular basis to detect any statistical deviation from expected results.

Because of the large amounts of money involved, casinos must be able to trust their patrons. However, something about gambling (perhaps the opulent surroundings or the presence of large sums of cash) encourages some to cheat, steal and manipulate the odds in order to win. While compulsive gamblers aren’t a large percentage of the population, they can have a huge impact on casino revenue, draining the profits that would otherwise flow into local businesses and social services.