A casino, also known as a gambling house or a gaming establishment, is an enclosed building or room where people can gamble on various games of chance or skill. The games played in casinos include blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and video poker. In addition to these games, some casinos feature a wide variety of other gambling products like sports betting terminals and bingo. Some casinos are combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and other entertainment venues.
Casinos rely on noise, light, and excitement to attract and encourage gamblers to place bets. They may use bright and sometimes gaudy floor and wall coverings to create a cheering effect, and they usually do not display clocks or other indicators of time. Alcoholic drinks are readily available and often delivered to players as they gamble, and nonalcoholic beverages are commonly offered free of charge.
Because of the large amount of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. To prevent this, most casinos employ a variety of security measures. These may include cameras, random audits of game play, and rules of conduct.
Casinos are able to make substantial profits from high rollers, who are gamblers who place bets of tens of thousands of dollars or more. These gamblers are rewarded with comps that can be worth a great deal of money, including free luxury suites and personal attention from casino staff.