A casino is an establishment for gambling. Casinos can be located in the United States and internationally. They may be combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping or other tourist attractions. Some casinos are owned and operated by government-related or private enterprises, while others are owned and operated by private individuals, groups or corporations. In the United States, there are over 1,000 casinos.
Casinos are heavily regulated by state and local authorities to prevent gambling addiction, money laundering and other criminal activities. In addition to standard security measures, many casinos use video cameras and computers to monitor game play and identify suspicious betting patterns. Some casinos also use chip tracking systems to monitor wagers minute by minute and alert supervisors of any statistical deviation from expected outcomes.
Despite the name, not all casinos feature slot machines and other mechanical games. Most casinos also feature card games such as blackjack and its variants, baccarat and trente et quarante. Some casinos also offer dice games like craps and roulette, and sports bets like football and horse racing. Some American casinos even have Asian-themed card games such as sic bo, which became popular in the United States during the 1990s, and fan-tan.
Because of the large amounts of money that are handled within a casino, both patrons and staff members may be tempted to cheat or steal. To counter this, most casinos have highly trained security staff that monitor both players and game play. In addition, most casinos have perks for frequent gamblers called comps. These include discounted hotel rates, free food and show tickets, and other benefits.