A casino is a place where people can play a variety of games of chance for money. It is common for casinos to offer free goods or services to high rollers (those who gamble a lot). These rewards can include hotel rooms, meals, show tickets and even airline flights. A casino can also earn money by charging a “rake” — a commission taken from each hand of poker played.

A casino’s decor is meant to create an upscale, exclusive atmosphere. Many feature richly textured carpeting, elaborate light fixtures and large paintings. Some even have a theme, such as the Wild West or old Las Vegas. The goal is to make patrons feel special and privileged to be there. Some casinos also try to minimize the time a player spends inside, which is why they have carefully designed lighting and a limited number of machines or tables.

With such large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal. For this reason, many casinos spend a great deal of money on security measures. Security cameras and other surveillance equipment are the most obvious of these measures. In addition, there are routines and patterns to the way games are conducted that are easy for trained security personnel to recognize.

Most states have legal land-based casinos, and Nevada is renowned for its many. The state is divided into several market regions for reporting purposes, with Las Vegas and Atlantic City being the most well known.