A casino is a facility for gambling. Some casinos are stand-alone buildings, while others are integrated into hotel/resorts or other tourist attractions. The term is also used for facilities for certain types of gambling, including poker rooms and sports books. Some states have legalized casinos in certain locations; other states have banned or restricted them. In the United States, there are many places where casinos can be found, including in Las Vegas (the largest casino in the world) and Atlantic City.

Casino games generally provide a long-term advantage to the house, or “house edge”, but some have a skill element as well. Players who possess the appropriate skills can reduce this advantage, and are referred to as advantage players.

The casino industry is a major source of revenue in some countries. The most profitable casino in the world is Galaxy Macau, which had revenue of $8 billion in 2019.

The casino business is a highly competitive one, and casinos employ a variety of strategies to attract and keep customers. Free food and drink is offered, as are comped rooms and tickets to shows. To reduce the risk of theft, casinos use chips instead of cash. These chips have the same value as the money, but are easier to track. In addition, they help to keep patrons from being distracted by the sight of large sums of money. Despite these measures, some gamblers may still be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with other patrons or independently. To protect against this, casinos have security measures such as cameras and manned surveillance.