The bright lights and giveaways of casinos entice people to try their hand at gambling. But anyone with even a basic grasp of math and economics can figure out that most players lose, thanks to the irrevocable laws of probability.

Casinos fascinate even those who don’t gamble, as evidenced by the popularity of the Ocean’s 11 movies starring the Rat Pack and George Clooney and their sequels. They are places where champagne glasses clink, and locals and tourists mingle with strangers to create a pulsing, buzzy atmosphere.

Most casinos feature a variety of games ranging from the more competitive and strategic table and card games to simpler options like roulette, slot machines and video poker. Although some patrons may tut-tut if their luck isn’t great, most of the people at a casino are genuinely having a good time.

The pulsing, buzzing atmosphere of a casino gives it a unique energy that can’t be found anywhere else. And while there are some seedy backroom gambling parlors, most casinos are large, professional establishments that employ security guards and monitor their parking lots.

They also employ a variety of high tech surveillance systems that allow them to keep an eye on every table, window and doorway. Cameras are angled and adjusted in ways that can focus on suspicious patrons by security personnel in a separate room filled with banks of monitors. There is no need to worry about being robbed, because money brought into the casino is carefully counted and bunched by casino employees before it is transported by armored car to a bank for deposit.