A casino is a place where people gamble by playing games of chance or skill. In most casino games, the house has a built-in advantage over the players; this is known as the house edge. The casino makes its money by taking a percentage of all bets placed, or a flat fee per hour for the use of the gaming tables. Casinos also offer complimentary items to patrons and comps, such as free drinks or food, depending on the type of game played.
A large amount of currency moves through the doors of a casino, and both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, casinos employ many security measures. Security cameras throughout the facility are one method. More sophisticated technologies are used as well: betting chips with microcircuitry are tracked minute by minute and reported to a central computer for monitoring; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover any statistical deviations from expected results.
The most famous casino in the world is probably the Bellagio in Las Vegas, a glittering palace of slot machines and poker rooms that became even more iconic thanks to the movie Ocean’s 11. However, there are other contenders, such as the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco, the Casino Lisboa in Lisbon, or the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden in Germany.