A casino is an establishment that houses gambling games. Successful casinos bring in billions of dollars annually for their owners, shareholders, investors, and Native American tribes, as well as local governments that impose taxes and fees. They attract millions of visitors, many of whom spend money beyond what they have won or lost at the tables and slots. In addition to games of chance, casinos often feature restaurants, hotel rooms, non-gambling entertainment, bars, swimming pools, and spas.

A variety of security measures are in place to prevent cheating and theft by patrons and employees. These include surveillance cameras that are located throughout the facility and can be remotely adjusted to focus on suspicious individuals. Several types of electronic devices are also used to deter cheating, including the use of RFID chips in table-game chips, which allow patrons to track their betting history. Despite these measures, it is not uncommon for casino patrons to try to manipulate the odds in their favor, a practice known as “edge-betting.”

To maximize profits, casinos focus on high rollers, who gamble large sums of money. To encourage these players to continue spending, casinos will extend comps—free hotel rooms, meals, drinks, and even free casino chips—to them. This type of player-centered marketing has created a culture of entitlement among many casino players.