A casino is a place to play games of chance for money. While musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels help casinos lure visitors, they are mostly just a front for the gambling machines, blackjack, poker, roulette, craps and other games of chance that bring in billions in profits each year.

Modern casinos have a variety of security measures in place. Most have a dedicated physical security force that patrols the premises, responding to calls for assistance or to reports of suspicious activity, and a specialized surveillance department that oversees the closed circuit television system (known in the industry as the eye in the sky) and other electronic monitoring systems.

Something about the presence of large sums of money encourages people to cheat and steal, either in collusion with other players or on their own. Because of this, casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security.

Casinos also offer comps to their best customers, giving them free hotel rooms, meals, tickets to shows or even airline tickets based on the amount of money they bet or how long they stay. This practice is designed to keep good customers coming back for more and to attract new ones.

The first modern casinos were built in the 1950s, a time when Nevada was the only state where gambling was legal. As the business grew, other states legalized it and began to open their own casinos. Today, there are a handful of casinos in Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City as well as dozens more across the country. Many casinos also operate in Native American tribal lands.