A casino is a gambling establishment where patrons can play various games of chance and win money. While casinos often add luxuries to attract customers, such as restaurants and free drinks, they are essentially places where people can gamble for money. Some of the world’s largest casinos can be found in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Macau.

The casino business model is built around the idea that a small statistical advantage for the house, known as the “house edge,” will earn it profits from the millions of bets made by its patrons. That slight advantage is enough to justify the enormous expenses that are required to keep a casino open, including elaborate hotels and fountains, giant pyramids and towers, and replicas of famous landmarks.

Because of the large amounts of cash that are handled within a casino, there is always the risk that patrons or staff may try to cheat or steal. As a result, most casinos employ numerous security measures to prevent this from happening. These range from cameras to sophisticated surveillance systems with a high-tech “eye in the sky” that watches every table, change window and doorway.

In addition to these technological measures, some casinos also enforce security through rules of conduct and behavior. For example, players at card games are expected to keep their cards visible at all times. This is done to prevent anyone from cheating by palming or marking them. Lastly, some casinos will only allow certain payment methods, such as credit or debit cards, to make deposits. Usually, these methods will have deposit and withdrawal limits that vary from one casino to another.