Security in a casino begins at the floor, where casino employees keep an eye on the tables and patrons. They look for signs of cheating, such as excessive betting or blatantly cheating. The pit bosses and table managers also watch the games to keep track of betting patterns. Each employee in the casino has a supervisor who oversees their activities.

To make a profit, a casino needs to know the house edge and variance of various games. This information tells the casino how much it can expect to make and how much cash it needs to maintain as reserves. Casinos hire mathematicians and computer programmers who specialize in this work. Many casinos do not have the expertise in-house to make this information available to players, so they outsource this work.

While most casino games offer a long-term advantage to the house, there is also the potential for short-term gains for players with sufficient skills. These players, known as advantage players, are able to reduce the house edge. By playing better than the house, they can win more money than they lost. This means that they are able to make more profit in the long run.

The games available in a casino vary by location, but almost all have some variations of roulette, blackjack and slot machines. Other games include craps, video poker, and keno. Some casinos also feature arcade games, live poker, lottery games, and scratch tickets.