A casino, also known as a gambling house or gaming house, is an establishment for playing games of chance. It offers a variety of services to its customers such as snacks, drinks, and entertainment. Its customers can gamble in game rooms or at tables and machines. The casino also gives out complimentary items to its customers, called comps. The house usually takes a percentage of the total amount of funds wagered (also called “winnings”), which is called the rake.

The movie Casino, directed by Martin Scorsese and co-written by Nicholas Pileggi, is a riveting account of the rise and fall of organized crime in Las Vegas and its mob ties. The film stars Robert De Niro as mobster Nicky Santoro and Sharon Stone as blonde hustler Ginger McKenna. It also features a supporting cast of powerful actors including Joe Pesci and Ben Gazzara.

While casinos look like fun places to spend a Saturday night, they are actually mathematically engineered to slowly bleed patrons of their hard-earned money. They are built on a foundation of probability and game theory, and for years mathematically inclined people have tried to turn the tables by exploiting weaknesses in a system that is ultimately rigged.

The most common way that casinos make money is by collecting a rake, or a commission, on each hand of every game played. They also take a cut of each bet placed on a slot machine, or in a table game such as baccarat. The house advantage, which varies by game and is determined by probability and math, is the reason that it is rare for a casino to lose money on any given day.