A casino (or gambling house, or even a gaming room) is an establishment where a variety of games of chance can be played. It can be a standalone structure or part of a larger complex including hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. It can also be a private social club where members gamble and enjoy other recreational activities.
In addition to standard card and table games such as blackjack, poker and roulette, many casinos feature traditional Far Eastern games like sic bo and fan-tan. In addition, some casinos offer a variety of dice games such as baccarat, craps and keno. Many casinos also have a selection of arcade and video slot machines, as well as live entertainment and top-notch hotels and spas.
While a large percentage of the profits in modern casinos come from slot machine gambling, there has been a steady growth in other types of gambling as well. In particular, table games have grown in popularity as they are more skill-based than slots and require more concentration.
Regardless of the type of gambling, most casinos rely on a variety of security measures to ensure that patrons are protected and treated fairly. These include casino employees watching over the tables, keeping an eye out for blatant cheating such as palming or marking cards or switching dice, as well as electronic surveillance. In addition, most casinos have catwalks that allow surveillance personnel to look down, through one way glass, on the game play from above.