A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. These casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions. In some countries, the term casino may also refer to a private club. The exact origin of the word is unknown, but it is believed to be related to the Latin calomnia, meaning “luck”. In modern usage, the casino is generally synonymous with gambling and can include card games, table games like blackjack, roulette and poker, as well as other electronic gaming machines.

Casinos are also known for their luxurious accommodations, high-end restaurants and breath taking art installations. The Bellagio in Las Vegas, for example, is famous for its dancing fountains and has starred in two James Bond films, Never Say Never Again and GoldenEye. In Australia, the Crown Casino is a major destination for high rollers and offers an extensive selection of games including all the traditional table and electronic machines as well as a dedicated poker room and a range of other activities including fine dining and world-class performances.

Casinos employ a variety of security measures to protect their patrons and their assets. These typically include a physical security force and specialized surveillance departments. In addition to these measures, most casinos use technology to prevent cheating and stealing by their patrons. For example, in the game of blackjack, some of the betting chips have a microcircuit that can monitor the amounts wagered minute by minute; and a number of modern casinos utilize computerized systems to supervise roulette wheels and other mechanical devices to quickly discover any statistical anomalies. These methods are sometimes referred to as ‘chip tracking’ or ‘table game monitoring’ and are the work of gaming mathematicians, who are also called gaming analysts.