A casino is a place where people can gamble. They can also enjoy live entertainment, luxurious accommodations, and fine dining. They are located in many cities and countries around the world. The exact origin of gambling is uncertain, but it is believed to have been widespread in ancient societies. Casinos are usually combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and cruise ships. Some casinos specialize in specific types of games, such as poker or baccarat. In the United States, casinos are usually found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They are also common on American Indian reservations and other locations where state laws allow them.
In the twenty-first century, some casinos have become choosier about who they let gamble. They concentrate their efforts on high rollers, who make large bets, often in the tens of thousands of dollars. To encourage them to spend more money, they offer them free rooms, meals, and show tickets, as well as limo and airline tickets if their spending warrants it.
Casinos are generally very noisy places. The walls are covered with slot machines and gaming tables, and the floors are lined with flashing lights. Some of the more sophisticated casinos use elaborate surveillance systems to monitor patrons. These include cameras in the ceiling that can zoom in on tables, windows and doorways. They can even be adjusted to focus on certain suspicious patrons by security workers in a separate room filled with banks of security monitors.