What Is a Casino?

A casino is a gambling establishment where gamblers can play a variety of casino games. The most common games are baccarat, chemin de fer, blackjack, and roulette. Some casinos also offer poker and other card games. Many casinos are located in cities such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but others can be found on American Indian reservations and in various other countries around the world.

Casinos are lucrative businesses because each game has a built-in advantage for the house. This edge may be small (less than two percent), but over time it can earn casinos millions of dollars. They are therefore able to afford to build elaborate hotels, fountains, towers, and replicas of famous landmarks.

Most casinos focus on providing customer service and perks designed to encourage and reward frequent gamblers, known as comps. They often offer free drinks and food, discounted travel packages, and hotel rooms. They can also offer low-cost or free show tickets, and other incentives for slot machine players.

Because of the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. To avoid this, most casinos employ a number of security measures. These range from simple cameras to sophisticated surveillance systems with a high-tech eye-in-the-sky capability that monitors every table, window and doorway.

Generally, the typical casino patron is an older person with above-average income who enjoys socializing and spending money. In the twentieth century, a growing number of states legalized casino gambling, and Native American tribes began operating their own casinos.