The Casino is a popular tourist destination, and offers visitors a chance to try their luck at games of chance. It has a variety of games to choose from, including poker, blackjack, roulette, and slot machines. Many casinos also offer food, drink, and entertainment.
Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, there is a potential for cheating and theft (either in collusion with other patrons or by individuals), so casinos devote a significant amount of time, effort, and expense on security. Security personnel watch over all the tables, and pit bosses oversee each table’s employees to make sure they aren’t stealing chips or marking cards. In addition, elaborate surveillance systems offer a high-tech “eye in the sky” that can monitor every table, window, and doorway simultaneously.
Gambling has a long history and is a common form of entertainment. The precise origin is unknown, but there are records of gambling in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece. Ancient Rome and Elizabethan England also had forms of gambling. Today, casinos are found in nearly every country that has legalized it, and the United States is home to the largest concentration.