A casino, also called a gambling house or a gaming establishment, is a place where people can gamble. Typically, casinos specialize in offering a variety of games for players to choose from. They may also offer food and drinks. Many casinos are located in cities with large populations of people. Others are built near tourist attractions. In the United States, the largest concentration of casinos is in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A casino offers a wide range of security measures to protect patrons and employees from cheating, stealing and other crimes. Security starts at the casino floor, where dealers and pit bosses keep an eye on all games to make sure that everything is going according to plan. They are trained to look for a variety of shady behavior, including palming, marking or switching cards and dice. They also monitor table game betting patterns, and report any suspicious behavior to a higher-up.
Something about gambling encourages both patrons and employees to try to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. This is why casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security.
Casinos can be found in almost every major city, but they are particularly concentrated in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, where they draw visitors from across the country and around the world. In the past, some of the most famous casinos were mob-controlled, but federal crackdowns and the threat of losing their gaming license at the slightest hint of gang involvement have forced the mafia to abandon its hold on these cash cows. Real estate investors and hotel chains have stepped in to take over.