A casino is a place where people play a variety of games of chance and gambling is the primary activity. Unlike many other public places that may add a lot of luxuries to attract customers like restaurants, free drinks and stage shows, casinos focus solely on gambling and the house always wins.

Because of the high amount of money handled within a casino, patrons and staff can be tempted to cheat and steal either in collusion or independently; for this reason, all casinos have security measures in place. The most basic measure is a camera in every room, allowing security workers to keep an eye on the casino floor and patrons at all times. Table games are watched by pit bosses and table managers who can spot blatant cheating such as palming, marking or switching dice and cards. Casinos also have a special count room, where they keep track of all the cash that passes through the casino.

Casinos are going to make money as long as people gamble, but it takes a lot more than that to make sure they are profitable. It takes cameras, fraud experts, alert security personnel and much more to separate customers from their money. Moreover, casinos have to be on the lookout for counterfeit money, ensure that players are of legal age and use document shredders to keep sensitive information secure. All this makes casinos quite a complex operation. This is why they hire gaming mathematicians and analysts to help them understand the odds of each game and how their profits change over time.