A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. The largest such facility is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, which handles over $6 billion worth of wagers every year. Casinos can also be found in many other places, and they are often combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and cruise ships.
In the United States, 40 states now have some form of casino gambling. Most are concentrated in the Las Vegas area, although some are in other cities such as Atlantic City and Chicago. Some casinos are located on American Indian reservations, which are exempt from state anti-gambling laws.
Most casinos feature a variety of table games such as blackjack and roulette, and offer a range of slot machines. Some have a large number of video poker machines. Some casinos specialize in certain types of games, such as baccarat (known as trente et quarante in France), which is the principal game played at Monte Carlo; and pai gow poker, which is commonly offered in tournaments.
Because of the large amount of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, most casinos have security measures in place. These measures usually include cameras in the casino. In addition, most casinos have a dedicated security staff. Some have a separate team for investigating reports of suspicious activity. In rare cases, a casino security guard has been killed on the job.
