A casino is a place where people can gamble on games of chance. In addition to the gambling, most casinos offer a variety of other entertainment options such as restaurants, stage shows, and living quarters for their guests. Some casinos also have a variety of gaming tables such as roulette, blackjack, poker and craps. These are operated by croupiers and involve a combination of skill and luck. In general, casino games have a high house edge and variance. To minimize this, the best casinos hire mathematicians to help them develop optimal strategies for each game.

One of the ways that a casino attracts patrons is by offering free food and drinks. This makes it harder for them to focus on how much they might be losing. To further entice gamblers, many casinos use bright and sometimes gaudy floor and wall coverings that are designed to be stimulating and cheering. Many use the color red, which is thought to make people lose track of time. In addition, most casinos do not display clocks anywhere in their buildings.

In order to keep track of the money flowing in and out of the casino, a sophisticated surveillance system is required. Casinos usually have cameras that monitor every table, window and doorway, and can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons. These cameras are connected to a room filled with banks of security monitors, called the eye-in-the-sky. In addition, casino games are generally monitored by a pit boss.