A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. While musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels all help attract patrons, casinos would not exist without the billions in profits raked in each year by gambling machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and other table games that depend on irrevocable laws of probability to pay out winners.

In order to maintain their profits, casinos offer big bettors extravagant inducements. They include free spectacular entertainment and travel, luxury living quarters, reduced-fare transportation, and even free drinks and cigarettes while gambling. These inducements, along with the vig (short for vigorish) and rake (a percentage of each bet) help casinos guarantee their gross profit.

Because of the large amounts of money handled within a casino, there is always the risk that both patrons and employees may attempt to cheat or steal. To counteract this, most casinos employ a variety of security measures. Security cameras located throughout the casino are a basic measure, but casinos also use electronic monitoring to supervise their games. For example, betting chips with built-in microcircuitry interact with systems that oversee the exact amount of money wagered minute by minute and warn staff immediately when there is a statistical deviation from their expected results.

Before you walk into a casino, decide how much money you are willing to spend and stick to it. Never chase your losses. Thinking you are due for a win and can recoup your lost money is called the gambler’s fallacy and is a sure way to lose more than you originally won.