What Is a Casino?

A casino (also called a gaming house or a gambling establishment) is a building or room where gambling games can be played. Casinos provide customers with a variety of gambling options, including slot machines, poker, blackjack, roulette, and craps. Some casinos also offer sports betting and horse racing. In addition to these games, many casinos have a variety of entertainment acts and restaurants.

Something about gambling – either its appeal or its potential for huge wins – encourages both patrons and staff to cheat and steal, whether in collusion or independently. To counter these risks, most casinos employ a wide range of security measures. These include cameras located throughout the facility and catwalks that allow surveillance personnel to look down directly on table and machine games through one-way mirrors.

Casinos make money by charging a percentage of each bet placed on their games. This profit margin, which varies by game, gives the casino its edge over the players. The large profits generated by this business model have allowed casinos to build elaborate hotels, fountains and replicas of famous landmarks. However, many economic studies suggest that the net impact of casinos on a community is negative, as gambling revenue draws away from other types of entertainment and causes problems for problem gamblers.