A Casino is a building that allows customers to gamble by playing games of chance and in some cases of skill. Although some casinos provide a wide range of entertainment such as musical shows, shopping centers and themed hotels to attract visitors, the vast majority of the profits (and the gambling revenue) is made by games of chance such as slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps and poker.

Gambling games in casinos are typically regulated by laws of probability and mathematics that give the house an advantage over the players. These advantages can be expressed mathematically as the expected value of a bet, often referred to as the house edge. While the house edge is a constant, most games can be beat by a careful player with a good strategy.

Casinos have security measures in place to prevent cheating and stealing, both from patrons and employees. Depending on the location, these measures may include the use of video surveillance and specially trained staff to spot suspicious behavior. Casinos also frequently hire private security firms to patrol their premises.

Most modern casinos have two specialized departments for casino security: a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The latter is the one that operates the casinos closed circuit television system, known as “the eye in the sky”. This enables security personnel to monitor patrons and their activities, and is highly effective at preventing crime.