A casino, also known as a gambling house or a gaming establishment, is a place where various types of gambling games can be played. A casino is also a place where entertainment and theatrical performances are staged. The casino industry has grown rapidly to become a major source of revenue for many cities and states, especially those with legalized gambling.

Most casinos offer a variety of games that depend on chance, including slot machines, black jack, roulette and keno. Some casinos also feature horse racing and other sporting events. In the United States, there are over 1,000 casinos. Most of them are located in the Las Vegas Valley, although more are being built outside the state. The casino business generates about $125 billion in revenue annually, making it the third largest industry in the nation.

Because of the large amounts of money that are handled within casinos, patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with each other or independently. To prevent this, casinos use security cameras throughout the premises to monitor and record all activity inside the casino.

In addition to the cameras, casinos use a number of other technology to assist with their surveillance systems. For example, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry interact with electronic systems in table games to allow casinos to oversee the amount wagered minute by minute and to warn players immediately of any statistical deviation from expected results. Roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to discover any suspicious patterns of spins.