A casino, or gaming room, is a place where patrons can gamble on various games of chance and often has a variety of other entertainment features such as stage shows and free drinks. There have been places with less glitz and glamour that still qualified as casinos, but the typical modern casino has many luxurious features added to attract players.
Security is one of the most important aspects of a casino. Casino employees watch every game closely, and they can spot blatant cheating like palming or marking cards or dice. In addition, they notice the patterns in the betting patterns of the patrons to look for a telltale pattern that can signal a scam. Cameras that provide an eye-in-the-sky view of the entire casino floor let security people focus on suspicious patrons as they move through the facility.
Something about gambling seems to encourage people to try to steal or cheat their way into a jackpot. Because of this, casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security.
Most of the games in a casino are based on the outcome of a random draw, such as rolling dice or flipping a coin. A few have a social aspect, such as poker or roulette. Most casinos also offer video poker, which is played on a terminal similar to a slot machine and pays out prizes for poker hands, such as deuces wild or jacks or better. Some casinos feature Far Eastern games, such as sic bo and fan-tan.