A casino, or gaming house, is an establishment for gambling. Some casinos also offer other types of gaming, such as a poker room or tournaments. Casinos are most widely found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but also appear on Indian reservations, cruise ships, and in other states where gambling is legal. The term is also commonly used to refer to a specific game of chance, like roulette or blackjack, that is conducted by a live dealer rather than by a machine.
Casinos are heavily monitored for cheating and fraud, particularly by security personnel on the floor. They use cameras that can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons, and they can watch multiple tables at once. They can also monitor the payouts of slot machines, which are determined by computer chips that are inserted into the machine.
Something about gambling (perhaps the presence of large amounts of money) seems to encourage people to try to cheat, steal and scam their way into a jackpot, so casinos spend a lot of time, effort and money on security. In addition to camera surveillance, they have strict rules about what can and cannot be done on the casino floor. For instance, players must wear uniforms and show identification at all times. They are given free food and drink to help keep them on the premises, but they are not allowed to take it out of the casino. In this way, they are forced to stay focused on the game and not distracted by their desire for luxury.