A casino (also known as a gambling house or kasino) is an establishment that offers various forms of gambling. Some casinos also offer live entertainment, and some are combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions.

The vast majority of casino profits come from gambling. While musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels help bring in the crowds, it’s games of chance like roulette, blackjack, poker, craps and baccarat that generate the billions in annual profits that make up the casino business.

While there is an element of luck involved in most casino games, the odds are mathematically designed to ensure that the house always has an advantage over the players. This advantage is called the house edge. Despite the fact that gamblers can win large amounts of money, there is still a lot of risk involved in casino gambling, which is why casino security is such a big priority.

Casino security starts on the casino floor, where casino employees keep a close eye on all the games and on casino patrons for any signs of cheating or stealing. Casino dealers, for example, are trained to look for blatant dice or card cheating by keeping their eyes fixed on the game and watching for betting patterns that could indicate when someone is trying to steal. Casino managers and pit bosses have a broader view of all the tables and are trained to look for even more subtle signs of suspicious behavior.