There are few places on earth where gambling is elevated to an art form like in these decadent casinos. With opulent furnishings, overflowing bars and of course lots of tables for betting, these temples of temptation are where fate and fortune are decided, and where you can see what your winning hand is.

From Las Vegas to Monaco, these are the best casinos on the planet.

A casino (plural casinos) is a building or room where people can gamble on games of chance. The games played in a casino are usually designed to make the house money. The house edge is the mathematical advantage that the casino has over the players, and it can be determined by studying the rules of each game and its payout percentages. Casinos are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. Some states have laws regulating the operation of casinos.

While there are many different types of casinos, they all share the same basic elements: a gaming area with various games and gambling machines; security staff; and a customer service department. Guests may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with other guests or by acting independently, and most casinos have rigorous security measures to prevent these activities. These measures include a physical security force and specialized surveillance departments. They also employ gaming mathematicians to develop algorithms that can detect and prevent cheating or theft. They also have a variety of other security measures to protect their patrons, employees and assets.