A casino, also called a gambling establishment or a gaming house, is a place where people can gamble for money. Casinos offer a wide variety of games, and some are even open to the public. Most casinos are regulated by government agencies. Some casino games are purely chance while others require skill. People who possess sufficient skill to eliminate the inherent long-term disadvantage of a casino game are called advantage players.
Casinos typically make their profits by taking a percentage of all winning bets or charging hourly fees for table games like blackjack and poker. A casino may also host a number of events, such as concerts and sporting events. Casinos are located in many countries around the world and have been a major source of tourism and revenue for their owners.
While the glamorous images of casinos often depict lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels, their origins lie in simple games of chance. Roulette, baccarat and keno are the main gambling games in Europe, while blackjack and a variant called trente et quarante are fixtures of American casinos, along with craps and pai gow poker.
Casinos are staffed with employees who oversee the games and patrons, and their security is further enhanced by technology. For example, chips with microcircuitry can track bets minute by minute to detect suspicious patterns; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover any statistical deviation from the expected outcome. Casinos are also filled with cameras that watch every table, window and doorway, and they can be adjusted to focus on certain suspicious patrons.