A casino is a gambling hall, building or room where people play various games of chance for money. The word is a portmanteau of the French words for “house” and “gamble”. Casinos are often designed with an elaborate interior architecture to enhance the gaming experience and sometimes feature stage shows, restaurants and bars. They also employ a variety of security measures to prevent cheating and theft. In the United States, there are over 1,000 casinos. Many of these are located in Las Vegas, but Ledyard, Connecticut has the largest casino in America (operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Indian tribe).

Most casinos offer a wide range of gambling activities such as blackjack, roulette and poker. Other popular activities are billiards, sports betting and spectator events such as concerts and sporting competitions. Casinos are regulated by government agencies in some jurisdictions to ensure that they follow strict rules and standards.

In addition to the standard gambling equipment, modern casinos are often equipped with a variety of electronic surveillance systems to monitor players and their behavior. For example, some casinos use special betting chips with built-in microcircuitry to track bets minute by minute and alert security if a pattern emerges; roulette wheels are electronically monitored to detect any anomalies.

Because of the large amount of money that is handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with each other or independently. For this reason, all casinos have security measures to prevent these activities. These measures usually include the use of security cameras.