A casino is a special establishment where patrons can engage in gambling entertainment and have the opportunity to win money. Legal facilities of this kind can be found around the world and are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions.

A successful casino earns billions of dollars each year for the corporations, investors, and Native American tribes that own and operate them. Local and state governments also reap the benefits of casino revenues in the form of taxes, fees, and other payments. Casinos are designed to offer patrons a wide variety of gambling-related activities, including table games such as blackjack and poker, as well as slot machines.

Security is a primary concern at casinos. The security staff works to prevent a patron from cheating by palming, marking or switching cards and dice and by using other methods that deceive other gamblers. Dealers work closely with the security staff to catch any blatant cheating and to keep watch for betting patterns that may signal collusion. Table managers and pit bosses also monitor gamblers, looking for a player’s recognizable face as they sign a wager slip and for any other signs of tampering.

As the casino industry grew, it attracted organized crime figures who were already involved in illegal activities like drug dealing and extortion. They supplied the funds that financed the construction of casinos in cities like Reno and Las Vegas, took sole or partial ownership of many of them, and even controlled the results of certain games by offering bribes to dealers.