A casino is a public place where a variety of games of chance are played. While most modern casinos offer a full range of luxuries to persuade gamblers, such as restaurants, free drinks, stage shows and dramatic scenery, the basic concept remains the same: people wager money on various games of chance, either to win cash or goods.

Casinos use a variety of methods to ensure that patrons are not cheating. They often employ electronic monitoring systems that oversee games of chance to detect any discrepancies; for example, roulette wheels are electronically monitored minute-by-minute, and betting chips have built-in microcircuitry to enable casinos to determine exactly how much is being wagered on each spin. Casinos also use video cameras to monitor all casino activities.

While most players believe that they have some degree of control over the results of their gambling, there is one thing about casino gambling that cannot be denied: The house always wins. The odds are designed to make sure that the casino profits, and not the players, regardless of their skill level or amount of time spent at a game.

In the days when Vegas was mobbed up, average Joes could get comped rooms, meals and tickets to shows for playing a certain amount of time or spending large amounts of money at slot machines. Nowadays, the average Joe is lucky to get a free drink from a cocktail waitress or a free show from the croupiers.