What Is a Casino?

A casino is a gambling establishment. These establishments feature games of chance, such as blackjack and roulette, and a variety of card games, including poker variants. In addition, they offer a wide range of other gambling activities. The most popular casino games are slot machines and video poker. These are the games that earn casinos the highest percentage of their revenue.

A gambler may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with fellow patrons or independently; most casinos have security measures to prevent this. These are usually in the form of cameras placed throughout the casino and manned by security personnel. A more subtle aspect of casino security is the pattern recognition that occurs when patrons follow a set of expected reactions and motions; these patterns make it easy for security people to spot anomalies.

Many casinos have table games, such as baccarat and chemin de fer (in the United Kingdom), or blackjack and pai gow in American casinos. European casinos often have traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo and fan-tan. Other popular games include two-up and pontoon in Australia, boule and trente et quarante in France, and kalooki in Britain.

Casinos are usually regulated by a government body. In Canada, that means the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation or the Gaming Control Board of Alberta. To open a casino in any of these jurisdictions, the operator must obtain a license from that regulator. Casinos must also provide a range of services for their guests, including food and accommodation.