A casino, or gaming house, is an establishment for gambling. Casinos have table games, slot machines, and other gambling devices, and offer live entertainment, often in conjunction with hotels and resorts. Some casinos are located in picturesque settings such as islands or historic buildings, while others are in imposing skyscrapers and modern business districts.

Modern casinos are usually supervised by a combination of physical security forces and specialized surveillance departments. In addition, they use a variety of technologies to supervise the games themselves. For example, ‘chip tracking’ allows casinos to monitor the exact amount of money wagered minute-by-minute; roulette wheels are electronically monitored on a regular basis to discover any statistical deviation from expected results; and poker tables often feature computerized dealing robots.

In order to attract and retain customers, casinos frequently provide lavish inducements. These may include free or reduced-fare transportation and living quarters, food and drink, alcoholic beverages, and even tickets to spectacular shows. Most games have mathematically determined odds that ensure that the house always has an advantage over players, a figure known as the house edge. Those games that do not involve an element of chance, such as standard poker, make their profit by taking a percentage of each pot or charging an hourly fee.

Although many people consider gambling to be an illegal activity, it is practiced in a wide variety of societies and throughout history. In the United States, a survey in 2008 found that 24% of adults had visited a casino in the previous year.