A casino is a place where people play games of chance for money or other prizes. While musical shows, lighted fountains and luxury hotels all help attract visitors and earn profits for casinos, the vast majority of casino income comes from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, poker, roulette and craps all help generate the billions in profits that casinos make each year.

While there is an old stereotype that casinos are seedy backroom gambling parlors where cheating and stealing are commonplace, the truth is that most casinos do a lot of work to ensure the honesty and fairness of their patrons. Casino security starts on the floor, where dealers keep their eyes on each other and their patrons to look for blatant cheating like palming cards or marking dice. They are often assisted by pit bosses and table managers with a wider view that allows them to keep tabs on each player. Casinos also employ a variety of other security measures, including high-tech eye-in-the-sky surveillance systems that can focus in on any suspicious patron from a separate room full of security monitors.

In addition to watching for cheating, table monitors and other security measures, casinos also reward loyal patrons with comps (complementary goods or services) such as free hotel rooms, meals, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets. Comps are typically based on the amount of time and money a gambler spends at a particular game. To find out if you can receive comps for your gaming activities, ask a casino employee or someone at the information desk how to get started.