What is a Casino?

A casino, or gaming house, is a place where people gamble money against each other. Gambling houses are usually licensed, regulated and supervised by the state. The most famous casinos in the world are in Las Vegas, Nevada, but they can be found throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

Many casino games involve a high degree of skill, such as blackjack and poker. Others are purely random, such as roulette and craps. Casinos are often decorated with bright colors and flashing lights to stimulate the senses and increase excitement. More than 15,000 miles of neon tubing illuminate the casinos along the Las Vegas strip.

Because large sums of money are handled within a casino, staff and patrons may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, casinos use elaborate security systems. Cameras mounted throughout the casino are constantly monitored in a control room by security personnel. These cameras can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons. Alternatively, table managers and pit bosses supervise table games with a more sweeping view.

Casinos offer free drinks and food to attract patrons, and are a popular destination for tourists. They also give away comps to their best customers, such as free hotel rooms, meals, tickets to shows and even airline tickets. Most casinos have clubs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs; patrons swipe their cards before playing a game and the casino computers track their play and spending habits.