A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Over time casinos have added many luxuries, such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows to attract patrons. But a casino is simply a building where gambling activities take place, and it’s possible that your grandmother took weekend bus trips to the local casino with her friends.

In the twenty-first century casinos are choosier about who they allow to play, and high rollers are often given special rooms and treatment that separate them from the regular casino floor. This is because casinos make most of their money from the people who gamble for large amounts, and these big spenders are the backbone of the business. They may even be offered limo service and airline tickets, depending on their level of spending.

Security is a major concern for the casino industry. Casinos usually have a physical security force that patrols the premises and responds to calls for assistance or reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. They also have a specialized department that runs the casino’s closed circuit television system, often called an eye-in-the-sky.

Those cameras are wired to record every move on the casino floor and in the poker room, where there are several tables. Security workers can watch these recordings and spot any anomalies. They also pay close attention to the patterns of the players at table games, looking for any hints of cheating.