A casino is a place where gambling games are played for money. Casinos have a wide range of games and offer different incentives to their patrons. For example, a large portion of their revenue comes from “comps” or free items given to high-spending players. Casinos also employ sophisticated technology to ensure that their gambling operations are fair and legal. For example, roulette wheels are regularly electronically inspected to detect any deviation from their expected results; betting chips with built-in microcircuitry interact with electronic systems to track and oversee the exact amounts of money wagered minute by minute on each game.
A croupier or dealer is the person who enables each game and manages payments for players. Each table has a manager or pit boss who supervises the game and watches for suspicious betting patterns that may signal cheating. Security personnel are stationed throughout the casino and have access to cameras that allow them to monitor activities from a control room filled with banks of security monitors.
Every casino game has a built-in advantage for the house. The house edge can be very small—lower than two percent of each bet placed by patrons—but over millions of bets it earns casinos enough money to build elaborate hotels, fountains and replicas of famous pyramids and towers. They are a major tourist attraction and many cities have laws that regulate them. In addition to the games themselves, the main attractions for visitors are the free shows, cheap buffets and inexpensive hotel rooms.