A casino (or kasino) is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Casinos are most often built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. The gambling operations in a casino are overseen by a gaming commission or other regulatory body. Casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports matches.
While musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers may lure visitors to casinos, the vast majority of the profits are generated by games of chance. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps are the games that bring in the most money for the houses. Other games may require some skill, but most are purely random and thus can be manipulated to produce an expected advantage for the house.
Casinos utilize a variety of security measures to protect their patrons and property. They have cameras throughout the casino that monitor movement and activity. In addition, sophisticated systems allow the casino to track and record the results of each game. Casinos are also equipped with “chip tracking” that records the exact amount of each bet minute by minute; and electronic monitoring of roulette wheels to detect any statistical deviation from an expected result.
Because large amounts of cash are handled within casinos, staff and patrons may be tempted to cheat or steal. This can occur in collusion with other patrons or independently. In either case, it is against the rules and punishable by law.