A casino is a gambling establishment offering an assortment of games of chance and, sometimes, skill. Casinos are most often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops and other entertainment attractions. The casino business is regulated in many jurisdictions and there are numerous ways to control and limit gambling activities.

Casinos may offer a variety of complimentary goods and services to gamblers in exchange for their loyalty, such as food, drinks or show tickets. These are known as comps. Casinos also earn revenue by taking a commission on some bets placed by players, particularly those on table games like blackjack and poker. In addition to games of chance, casinos offer several traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo (which spread to many European and American casinos during the 1990s) and fan-tan.

Despite the glamour and ostentation associated with casinos, the fact is that there is no such thing as a sure-fire way to win money. Gambling is a risky proposition and it is not uncommon for people to lose large sums of money. In order to mitigate this risk, the vast majority of casinos spend a significant amount of money and effort on security measures.

Security in a casino begins on the gaming floor, where employees watch patrons to make sure all the actions are consistent with the rules of the game. Besides watching for blatant cheating or theft, such as palming cards or marking dice, security personnel look for betting patterns that indicate a pattern of dishonest play. In addition to these visible safeguards, most casinos have a network of surveillance cameras throughout the property.