A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Modern casinos are like an indoor amusement park for adults, with the majority of their entertainment (and profits) coming from games of chance. Though lighted fountains, musical shows and shopping centers help draw in the crowds, casinos would not exist without games of chance such as slot machines, black jack, roulette, craps, keno and others. These provide the billions of dollars in profit raked in by U.S. casinos every year.

In the past, casino owners often had trouble getting legitimate businessmen to invest in their ventures because of the industry’s seamy image. Mobster money helped change this perception and allowed many casinos to grow quickly in the 1950s. But organized crime didn’t stop with providing bankrolls for casinos; it also took sole or partial ownership of some and manipulated game results to boost its own fortunes.

Something about gambling encourages cheating, stealing and scamming. Because of this, casinos devote a large amount of time and effort to security. Some casinos have catwalks that allow surveillance personnel to look down, through one-way glass, on patrons at the table or in the slot machine.

Casinos have a variety of ways to reward “good” players, known as comps. These may include free hotel rooms, meals, show tickets or even limo service and airline tickets. The goal is to get people to gamble more, and comps are a big part of the reason why so many people visit Las Vegas.