A casino, or a gaming house, is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Most states have laws regulating the operation of casinos, and some have banned them completely. Others have regulated the number, location and size of casinos. In the United States, casinos are generally located in or near hotels, resorts, restaurants and other tourist attractions. They also may be combined with retail shopping and other entertainment venues. Most casinos have security measures to prevent cheating and theft by both patrons and employees. These measures include the use of cameras that monitor the casino floor, as well as rules for player behavior. Some casinos have high-tech “eyes-in-the-sky” surveillance systems that allow security personnel to watch every table, window and doorway simultaneously.

The economic mainstay of most casinos are slot machines and video poker machines, which usually have a built in advantage of less than two percent. This allows the casino to offer large sums to high bettors and still make a profit. Other games, such as roulette and craps, require smaller bettors and have a higher average winning percentage. The advantage in these games is known as the vig, rake or house edge.

Casinos attempt to attract customers by offering free food and drink, which can make gamblers intoxicated and reduce their ability to evaluate their decisions. They also often provide a variety of other perks, such as free shows or luxury hotel rooms. In addition, they give players chips instead of actual cash to make the money appear less valuable, and they discourage players from leaving by removing windows and preventing them from seeing clocks.