A casino, also called a gambling house or gaming hall, is a place where people can gamble and win money. In some countries, casinos are licensed and regulated by government bodies, while others have no such restrictions and operate freely. Regardless of their legal status, they all offer the same basic services: a place where people can gamble, drink and watch entertainment.
Casinos rely on games of chance for the vast majority of their profits. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, keno and other table games provide the billions in annual profits that casinos earn. While musical shows, lighted fountains and elaborate theme buildings help draw in customers, these facilities would not exist without the games themselves.
Modern casino security is usually divided into a physical force that patrols the premises and a specialized surveillance department that operates closed circuit television (CCTV), which is known as the eye in the sky. The latter monitors the betting patterns of players, and can quickly detect any suspicious or definite behavior.
In addition to CCTV, casinos employ a variety of other technologies to help prevent cheating and fraud. For instance, chip tracking enables casinos to keep tabs on the exact amount of money that is wagered minute by minute and to warn employees immediately if the results deviate from expected values. Some tables even feature built-in microcircuitry to track betting patterns and detect any deviation from normal play. In the case of card games, dealers keep a close eye on their players to prevent cheating such as palming or marking cards or dice.