Whether you’re playing table games, like blackjack or poker, where the game of chance is a competitive challenge, or slot machines that are easier to master and offer a more laidback approach, casino games are an exciting form of entertainment. They keep you on the edge of your seat as you wait for that card to be dealt or wheel to spin and you can feel that rush of excitement even when you’re not winning.

Something about casinos (maybe it’s the fact that large amounts of money are present) seems to encourage people to cheat, steal or scam their way into a jackpot instead of relying on the randomness of chance. That’s why casinos spend a lot of time, effort and money on security. They also use bright and sometimes gaudy floor and wall coverings that stimulate the senses and encourage gambling. Casinos often don’t even have clocks on the walls because they are designed to make you lose track of time. And a high-tech eye-in-the-sky system allows security workers to watch every table, change window and doorway from a separate room filled with banks of cameras that can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons.

But despite all this, there’s still one certainty in casino gambling: the house always wins. And if you walk into a casino with the idea that you’re going to beat those odds, well, it’s just not in the cards (or math). It’s not in your nature to go up against the house and come out ahead.