A casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling. These gaming activities take place in massive resorts as well as small card rooms. Casino games include slots, baccarat, chemin de fer, blackjack, roulette and poker. Some casinos also feature theaters for live entertainment and a wide variety of restaurants. Casinos generate billions of dollars in profits each year for the corporations, investors, and Native American tribes that own them. In addition, state and local governments benefit from the taxes and fees that casinos collect.

Modern casino security is typically divided between a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The specialized surveillance department uses cameras to monitor and record casino activity. These systems are connected to a central monitoring room that can alert security personnel to suspicious or criminal activity.

While many people consider a casino to be a place where chance rules, the reality is that everything in a casino has been designed to ensure the house always wins. Even though the odds of winning are usually less than two percent, a casino must make enough money from bettors to cover operating expenses and make a profit. This profit is derived from the built in statistical advantage of casino games, or their expected value (EV). In games such as poker where players play against each other, the casino makes its profit by taking a percentage of the pot or charging an hourly fee.