A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Casinos can be built as standalone facilities or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. The term casino may also refer to a specific game of chance or a group of games played with cards, dice, etc. Casinos earn billions of dollars each year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that own them, as well as for local governments that levy taxes and fees on their operations.
In the twenty-first century, casinos have become increasingly choosy about whom they let gamble. They seek out high-stakes gamblers who spend tens of thousands of dollars or more. These gamblers are usually allowed to gamble in special rooms separate from the main floor, and they are pampered with free hotel suites, meals, drinks, show tickets, and other amenities. Casinos make much of their profits from these high-rollers, and they are careful not to annoy them.
Many people think of Las Vegas when they hear the word casino, but there are casinos in cities and towns of all sizes around the world. Some are massive resorts with a wide variety of gambling options, while others are small businesses defined more by the types of games they offer than by glitz and glamour. Casinos are usually protected by a combination of physical security forces and a specialized surveillance department that uses closed circuit television to monitor the facility. In addition to these technological measures, casino employees patrol the floors and are trained to spot suspicious activity.