A casino, also called a gaming house or a gambling establishment, is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. In the United States, casinos are primarily located in cities or in the surrounding areas of large towns.
The main source of income for a casino is the money gamblers wager on games. Slot machines, poker, craps, blackjack, roulette and other games of chance generate billions in profits for casinos every year. Other income includes the rake, a commission taken by the house on each bet placed, and comps given to big bettors.
Gambling is a high-risk business, and casinos must take steps to ensure the safety of their patrons as well as their assets. Casino security personnel typically monitor the actions of players and dealers through cameras throughout the casino floor, and special rooms filled with banks of video monitors allow surveillance workers to watch each table or machine through one-way glass. Casinos employ a variety of methods to deter cheating and theft, from collusion between players to tampering with the machines themselves. For example, “chip tracking” systems allow casinos to monitor exactly how much is wagered on each game minute by minute.
Many critics argue that a casino brings little or no economic benefit to the community in which it is situated. In fact, they contend that it diverts spending away from other forms of entertainment and that the cost of treating problem gambling addicts more than offsets any revenue generated by the casino.