A casino is a building or room where gambling games are played. Casinos are most often built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. Some states have laws regulating the operation of casinos. Others have no restrictions at all, while still others prohibit certain types of gambling.

A casinos primary source of income is the money that is bet by patrons on the various games. Each game offers a different expectancy, so a casino must be able to cover its expenses and pay out winning wagers while staying within an established win limit. To ensure that this happens, casinos typically offer extravagant inducements to big bettors, such as free spectacular entertainment, transportation and elegant living quarters.

Table games are a large part of casino gaming and can include card games like poker, blackjack and baccarat, dice games such as craps and roulette, and wheel games such as wheel of fortune and keno. Players usually sit around a table that is designed for the specific game and a croupier or dealer enables the game and manages the payments.

Casino security starts on the casino floor, where employees keep their eyes on the patrons and the games to make sure everything goes as it should. Security personnel at table games have a more subtle job, watching for betting patterns that may indicate cheating. The routines and patterns of the games themselves also help to deter cheating.