A casino is a building or room in which various games of chance can be played. The games are primarily gambling in nature, but some casinos also feature live entertainment and other amenities such as restaurants, shopping areas, hotel rooms, and even golf courses. In modern times, the term is most often used to refer to a large building that houses multiple gaming tables.
Some casinos offer a variety of different table and slot machine games. Others focus on specific genres like Asian games or a mix of traditional and modern games. For instance, some European casinos specialize in table games such as blackjack, while American casinos concentrate on roulette and craps because they attract higher bettors and require a low house edge (e.g., 1 percent).
Casinos are also known for their extensive use of technology to monitor and control their operations. For example, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry enable casinos to monitor the exact amount wagered minute by minute; slot machines are wired to a central server that detects statistical deviations and alerts employees; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored for speed and balance. Casinos often employ mathematicians and computer programmers to perform this work; these people are sometimes referred to as gaming mathematicians or analysts.
Due to the high amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with other patrons or independently. For this reason, most casinos have a significant security force. In addition to a physical security team, which patrols the casino floor and responds to calls for assistance or reports of suspicious activity, most casinos have a specialized surveillance department that monitors the premises via closed circuit television.