What Is a Casino?

A casino, or gaming house, is an establishment for certain types of gambling. In the United States, casinos are usually large resorts or hotels that offer a wide variety of games of chance and skill. Some casinos also feature restaurants, retail shops and entertainment venues. Casinos earn billions of dollars each year, which are shared among the investors, owners and Native American tribes that operate them. In addition, successful casinos generate profits for state and local governments that allow them to tax their patrons.

Although modern casinos often include many features reminiscent of circuses and amusement parks, the vast majority of their revenue comes from gambling. The most popular games are slot machines, baccarat, keno, poker and blackjack. Casinos are designed to lure gamblers with bright and gaudy colors, scents, music and architecture. They are also equipped with security cameras to monitor patrons and their movements throughout the facility.

Gambling in a casino has long been a lucrative business for organized crime. The mobsters who controlled Reno and Las Vegas in the 1950s made a fortune betting against each other, and their money helped finance the glamorous new casinos. Legitimate businessmen were reluctant to invest in the industry, however, because of its seamy image.

Most casino games have a built in advantage for the house, known as the house edge or mathematical expectation of profit. This advantage can be small (lower than two percent), but it adds up over millions of bets. To offset this edge, casinos make additional income from a fee charged to players who play table games like blackjack and video poker. They also earn a percentage of total bets placed on their machine games, called vig or the rake.