A casino is an establishment where gambling and games of chance are offered. The word is derived from the Latin for “house of pleasure.” Today’s casinos can be found in exotic locales around the world, from the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden to the French-style gaming rooms of Monaco. They are a major source of income for the owners. They are also places of glamour, mystery and intrigue.

The profits that casinos bring in are derived from the billions of dollars people bet on games like roulette, blackjack, craps, keno and baccarat. While musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels help draw people into casinos, it is the gambling that provides most of the revenue.

Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason most casinos have security measures in place. The most obvious are the cameras that watch every table, window and doorway. These are supplemented by more elaborate systems such as the “eye-in-the-sky” that can be used to track specific suspicious behavior.

In addition to these technical measures, a casino’s staff is trained to recognize behavior that is unusual and alert them to the situation. Many casinos also have a code of conduct for their employees that they must follow, which is designed to prevent the type of behavior that could lead to an employee being exposed to criminal activity.