A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Casinos usually have a high security level because of the large amounts of money involved. In most countries casinos are licensed and regulated by the government. There are different types of casinos depending on the country. Some are very large and have a variety of games. Other casinos are smaller and have fewer games.
In modern casinos, casino security is divided into a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. The specialized surveillance department uses cameras to monitor the entire casino. These cameras are positioned throughout the casino and can be adjusted by security personnel to focus on suspicious patrons. The cameras also record everything that happens on the casino floor, including the payouts of slot machines. This makes it easy for security to identify a cheater because statistical deviations from normal patterns stand out like a sore thumb.
Something about gambling seems to encourage some people to try to beat the house by means other than random chance. This is why casino security spends a great deal of time and effort on security. In addition to a physical security force, most modern casinos have an elaborate surveillance system that allows them to watch every table, move, and change in window from a room filled with banks of surveillance monitors.
While casinos do generate a substantial amount of income, critics argue that they drain spending from other forms of entertainment and that the cost of treating problem gambling addicts reverses any economic benefits they may bring to a community. Furthermore, the casinos hurt property values in local housing markets.