What is a Casino?

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Casino

A casino is a place where people play gambling games. It includes both tables where people wager against each other and machines where players bet by pushing buttons. Successful casinos bring in billions of dollars each year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that operate them. In addition, casinos provide jobs and stimulate the economy of their host communities.

Casino games have always been popular, and they can be found in many places, from massive resorts to small card rooms. A modern casino is heavily dependent on technology: video cameras are used for general security, and computers routinely supervise the games themselves. For example, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry are linked to electronic systems in the table games to enable them to be monitored minute by minute and to warn of any anomaly; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover quickly any statistical deviation from their expected results.

Most casinos offer a wide range of card games, including baccarat (which is the chief game in Monaco and those European continental casinos most patronized by the British), blackjack and trente et quarante. Some also feature traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo, fan-tan, and pai gow.

Because a large amount of money changes hands within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. As a result, casinos spend a lot of time and money on security.