Casinos are special gambling establishments that house a variety of games and offer patrons the opportunity to gamble for money. They are usually located in major tourist destinations and are operated by large corporations, investment firms or Native American tribes. Casinos are most heavily concentrated in the Las Vegas Valley, Atlantic City and Chicago. They are also found in many countries around the world.

Because of the large amounts of currency handled, casinos must invest a great deal of time and money in security measures to protect against theft and cheating. Casinos use a combination of technology and rules to prevent these things from happening. Cameras are placed throughout the facility, and can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons by security workers in a separate room filled with banks of monitors. Casinos also employ people whose job is to watch patrons play and spot suspicious betting patterns. These people are called gaming mathematicians and analysts.

Something about gambling (perhaps the excitement of winning) seems to encourage some players to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot rather than win it through random chance. This is why casinos spend so much time, money and effort on security.

In addition to security, casinos must keep their patrons happy by offering a wide variety of gambling games. The most popular are slots, poker and blackjack. Other games include roulette, baccarat, craps and bingo. Casinos also feature stage shows and dramatic scenery to add to the entertainment value of the facility. Casinos are not a panacea for economic problems, but they do generate employment in the areas that surround them and stimulate spending by local residents.