A casino is a place where gambling games of chance are played. These include dice, card games, roulette, baccarat and blackjack. In addition to these games, some casinos also offer sports betting and a variety of other games. Casinos are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops and other entertainment venues. They may be operated by federal, state or local governments. They are also found on American Indian reservations. In the United States, several states have passed laws legalizing casino gambling, and many have established gaming control boards to regulate the industry.
There is something about the presence of large amounts of money that seems to encourage cheating and stealing, whether in collusion or on an individual basis. This is the main reason why casinos spend a great deal of time, effort and money on security measures.
The most obvious method of security is a large number of cameras that watch every table, window and doorway in the casino. These are constantly monitored by security personnel who can adjust the cameras to focus on suspicious patrons. In addition, there is a separate room filled with banks of monitors where security workers can review tapes. Unlike slot machines, where the payouts are determined randomly by computer chips inside the machine, casino table games have certain expected patterns and reactions that make it easier for security to spot suspicious behavior. This work is performed by professionals known as gaming mathematicians and analysts.