What Is a Casino?

A casino is a building or room in which various types of gambling are conducted. A modern casino is much like a large indoor amusement park for adults, with slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno providing the billions of dollars in profit that casinos rake in every year. Casinos also offer other activities, such as bars, restaurants and nongambling game rooms, but they make most of their money from gambling.

Casino security starts on the gaming floor, where employees keep watch over gamblers to spot blatant cheating such as palming cards or marking dice. Each table game has a pit boss or manager watching over it, who can spot a change in betting patterns that might indicate a player is trying to steal chips from another patron. Casino dealers, who are heavily focused on their own game, can often spot a wide range of cheating techniques as well.

To encourage players, casinos offer free goods and services known as comps. These can include meals, hotel rooms and tickets to shows for the highest-spending players. Casinos also offer a variety of special events, such as golf tournaments and spa services, to attract visitors. High-stakes players are often given their own private rooms, with a personal attendant to take care of their needs. For some high rollers, the perks can extend to limo service and even private airplane trips. A few very large casinos have even expanded their facilities to include shopping malls, sports arenas and nightclubs.