A casino (or gambling house) is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Casinos are most often found combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops and/or cruise ships. Most casinos use some form of security to protect against cheating and theft by patrons and staff. This security typically includes cameras and other electronic monitoring equipment, as well as human guards.
While some games in a casino do involve an element of skill, such as poker and blackjack, most are pure chance and have a built-in advantage for the house, known as the house edge or expected value. This mathematical certainty is a foundational part of the casino business model and ensures that the house will, over time, generate a profit from those who play its games.
In addition to security cameras and human surveillance, many casinos also use advanced technology for game supervision. For instance, betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that allows for instant monitoring of the exact amounts wagered minute by minute; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results.
Some casinos are renowned for their hospitality, attracting big bettors with extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment and luxury living quarters. The famous Casino Estoril in Portugal, for example, was once the haunt of spies and dispossessed royalties during World War II and served as inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 novels. The United States’ most famous casino is perhaps the Las Vegas Strip, though other major gaming centers exist around the globe, from Monaco and Singapore to Macau and the Philippines.