A casino is a gambling establishment with table games and slot machines. Some casinos also feature a variety of non-gambling entertainment. Often, the gaming facilities are attached to prime dining and beverage facilities along with performance venues where pop, rock and jazz artists come to perform for fans. The largest casinos in the world have thousands of slots and hundreds of tables and are often in places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
Casinos typically use a variety of security measures to protect their patrons and property. These measures include security cameras, which are placed throughout the facility. In addition, many casinos have catwalks that allow surveillance personnel to look down through one-way glass at the activities on the casino floor. Some casinos have even incorporated electronic systems that track the amount of money bet on each game minute by minute; these systems are called chip tracking or telemetering.
In the United States, gambling is a popular activity, and there are land-based casinos in nearly every state. American casino gamblers spend billions each year on blackjack, craps, roulette, poker and baccarat. Poker exploded in popularity in the early 2000s after Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker, and the game is played in almost all casino card rooms.
In order to make sure they have a positive gross profit, casinos accept bets that have a mathematical expectancy of winning. They often offer big bettors extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, luxury transportation and elegant living quarters.
