Whether you’re hitting the slots, putting on your poker face or rolling dice at the craps table, there are few places better to satisfy a gambling itch than a casino. Not only do they offer a variety of games and a buzzing atmosphere, but many casinos come equipped with great food and drinks, non-gambling activities and plenty of entertainment options.

While something about gambling seems to encourage people to cheat, steal or scam (or both), casinos spend a large amount of time and money on security. Casino security begins on the floor, where dealers, pit bosses and managers keep an eye on everyone’s actions to spot blatant cheating like palming cards or marking or switching dice. A casino’s surveillance system also has an “eye-in-the-sky,” with cameras that monitor every table, window and doorway. They can be adjusted to focus on certain suspicious patrons by casino security workers in a room filled with banks of monitors.

A casino earns its money by charging a small percentage of bets to players, called the house edge. It may be only a few percent, but over millions of bets that adds up. It’s how casinos can afford to build fountains, giant pyramids and replicas of famous landmarks, along with hotels and restaurants and pay for top-notch entertainment and sporting events. The Bellagio in Las Vegas is often cited as the world’s most famous casino, though it faces competition from the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco and the Casino Lisboa in Lisbon.