A casino is an establishment that offers various types of gambling. It also hosts a wide range of entertainment events, such as concerts and comedy shows. Some casinos are located in world-famous locations like Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Macau.

In a casino, customers gamble by playing games of chance or with an element of skill, such as poker, roulette and craps. Most casino games have a built-in advantage for the house, which is usually less than two percent. This advantage, which is mathematically determined, gives the casino the opportunity to make a profit. Casinos may give patrons complimentary items or comps to keep them from going broke, such as free hotel rooms, show tickets, meals and limo service. The comps may also be based on the amount of time the patron spends gambling or the total amount of money wagered at the casino.

Security in a casino starts on the floor of the gaming area, where dealers and game attendants watch over the tables to spot cheating or stealing by patrons. A higher-up person keeps track of each table’s activity, watching for betting patterns that suggest a player might be “palming” cards or marking dice to gain an unfair advantage. Elaborate surveillance systems provide an eye-in-the-sky view of the whole casino, which can be focused on specific areas by security workers in a room filled with banks of monitors. However, even the best security systems cannot prevent people from trying to scam or cheat their way to winning big. This is why many casinos invest so much in their security.