Casino is a place where people gamble and play games of chance. Many casinos have hotels, restaurants, non-gambling games, swimming pools and other entertainment to draw in patrons. Nevertheless, the bulk of their profits come from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and poker are among the most popular games.

Casinos are designed to lure gamblers with flashy lights, elaborate structures and a wide selection of games. The casinos make money by charging patrons a percentage of their bets, called the house edge. While this number can be very small, it adds up over the billions of dollars wagered by players. Casinos also earn from the sale of drink and food services, merchandise, hotel rooms and real estate.

The huge amounts of cash handled in casinos can tempt both employees and patrons to cheat or steal. In collusion or independently, crooks can alter dice, manipulate cards and rig slot machines. To prevent such behavior, casinos employ various security measures. Many use cameras, and some have high-tech “eye-in-the-sky” systems that can monitor all the tables in a room at once. Some casinos even have a separate room filled with banks of security monitors.

In addition to a variety of casino games, most casinos offer comps to regular players. These free goods and services, such as free hotel rooms and show tickets, are based on how much a player spends at the casino. Some even provide limo service and airline tickets to big spenders.