A casino is a gambling establishment that houses various games of chance and other entertainment activities for patrons. These establishments often feature a variety of slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, poker and other table games. They also offer prime dining and beverage facilities as well as performance venues for pop, rock, jazz and other musical acts.

Casinos invest a lot of money in security measures to keep their patrons safe. They have cameras that provide a high-tech eye-in-the-sky view of the entire casino floor, and each game has its own set of monitors that can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons. Casinos also use a variety of other security measures, such as changing the appearance of bills, to discourage people from trying to cheat or steal.

In the past, mobsters controlled many casinos because they had plenty of cash from their drug dealing, extortion and other illegal operations. However, when legitimate businessmen such as Donald Trump and the hotel chains became involved, they realized that they could make far more money than the gangsters were making, and federal crackdowns on mob involvement have kept them away from their gambling cash cows.

Something about gambling encourages people to try to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot. It may be the presence of large amounts of money, or it may just be the fact that people want to believe that they can beat the house by skill rather than luck. Whatever the reason, casino patrons are encouraged to cheat and scam each other, which is why most casinos spend so much time, effort and money on security.