The casino is an entertainment destination where gamblers can enjoy many different games of chance and even win money. While musical shows, lighted fountains and shopping centers provide much of the appeal to casino patrons, the casinos would not exist without the millions of dollars that are won or lost each year by game players.

Casinos make their money by having every casino game built with a statistical advantage for the house. While this edge may be only a few percent, it adds up over the billions of bets made each year. This virtual guarantee of gross profit allows casinos to offer extravagant inducements to big bettors, such as free spectacular entertainment, transportation and elegant living quarters.

Something about gambling (probably the fact that it involves large amounts of money) seems to encourage people to cheat or steal to improve their chances of winning. As a result, casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security.

Security starts on the casino floor, where all the employees have a close eye on the patrons and their activities. Dealers are trained to spot blatant cheating, such as palming or marking cards. Pit bosses and table managers have a more broader view of the action, looking for betting patterns that could indicate stealing or collusion.

Modern casinos have also invested heavily in technology. Video cameras and computer monitoring systems keep watch over the tables, enabling casino management to oversee the exact amounts wagered minute by minute. In addition, casino chips have built-in microcircuitry that interacts with the electronic systems to enable a supervisor to discover any statistical deviation from expected results quickly.