A casino is a gambling establishment that offers a variety of games for players to gamble in. It also provides food and drinks for its patrons. Casinos are most often found in cities with legalized gambling.
Each game in a casino has a built in advantage for the house, and although it may only be a few percent, over time this can amount to significant profits for the casino. This advantage is referred to as the house edge. The house edge can be reduced by skillful play, but the game will still always have a slight advantage over the player. In games where the patrons are competing against each other (such as poker) the casino earns money by taking a commission on wagers, called the rake.
Some casinos add to their income by offering free goods and services to their high volume players, known as comps. These can include hotel rooms, meals, tickets to shows and transportation like limo service and airline tickets. This is done to keep these patrons happy and coming back.
Due to the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal. To prevent this, many casinos have extensive security measures in place. Basic measures include surveillance cameras located throughout the casino, and elaborate systems feature a one way glass view of the entire floor, allowing security workers to look directly down on tables, chairs and slot machines from a room above.