A casino is an establishment that offers gambling activities. Its customers gamble by playing games of chance, in some cases involving an element of skill such as poker, craps, roulette, blackjack, and video poker. Most of these games have mathematically determined odds that ensure the house will, on average, win. This advantage is known as the house edge. Casinos may also offer complimentary items or comps to players, and some casinos specialize in certain types of games such as baccarat.

Casinos are generally designed to be exciting places to play with flashy decor, upbeat music, and a wide selection of games. Patrons range from people whose confidence swells with every spin of the roulette wheel to others who just want to recoup what they lost on the previous round. Regardless of their intentions, they all share one thing in common – the thrill of getting that big win.

The large amounts of money handled within a casino make it prone to theft and cheating by both staff and patrons. This is why casino security is important. Most casinos employ numerous measures to prevent these occurrences. For example, casino employees constantly monitor table games to make sure that there is no palming or marking of cards or dice. They also keep an eye on betting patterns to prevent collusion between players. Security cameras located throughout the casino are another common measure. These are used for both general security and to monitor individual patrons in a particular game.