What Is a Casino?

A casino, also known as a gambling house or casin, is an establishment that offers various forms of gambling. These include slot machines, video poker, keno, and table games such as blackjack, roulette, and craps. Casinos are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues. In some countries, casinos are licensed and regulated by government agencies.

Something about the glitz, glamour and large amounts of money handled within casinos encourages patrons and staff to cheat and steal, either in collusion or independently; as a result, security is an important part of casino operations. Security measures may include cameras, personnel to monitor game play, and random checks of player identification and residential addresses.

In addition to standard casino games, many casinos offer regional and specialty games. For example, Asian casinos commonly feature traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo (which spread to several European and American casinos in the 1990s), fan-tan, and pai gow. In some cases, these games are played on specialized tables or in special rooms.

Casinos typically offer free goods and services to their most loyal players, called comps. These can include meals, hotel rooms, show tickets, and even limo service and airline tickets. The value of a comp depends on how much a gambler spends and how long he or she stays at the casino. In most cases, a player must ask for a comp from a casino employee or at the information desk to have it granted.