Casinos are gambling establishments that offer a variety of table games, including blackjack and roulette. They also offer other games such as video poker and craps. In addition to providing entertainment, casinos make money by charging an entrance fee and offering food, drinks, and live shows (often on closed-circuit television). Casinos are heavily regulated in many jurisdictions. In the United States, for example, they are required to display their house edge on all gaming tables.
Casinos rely on technology to improve security and monitor games. For instance, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry enable casinos to oversee the amount of money wagered minute-by-minute; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly so that statistical deviations can be detected immediately. Casinos also use electronic devices to track player behavior, such as a centralized system that tracks the number of times players hit the spin button on slot machines.
In some places, casino construction brings jobs and income to local populations. Locals can work at the casino, patronize restaurants and shops, or sell goods and services to tourists. When a casino opens, it also attracts higher skilled workers from the area and decreases unemployment in the lower-skilled, original population. The newer, more highly-skilled people who move to the area will tend to spend their earnings on other goods and services, thus increasing the economy of the community in which they reside. This increased economic activity is one of the reasons why casinos are a great source of revenue for some countries.