A casino is a gambling establishment offering a variety of games of chance for visitors to wager money. These include card games like poker and blackjack, dice games such as craps, and wheel games like roulette. Casinos also offer entertainment and top-notch hotels, spas, restaurants, and theaters. Some casinos are world-famous, such as the Bellagio in Las Vegas or the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco.

Casinos earn their profit by allowing patrons to gamble within certain limits. Every game offers a built-in advantage for the casino, which in combination with the millions of bets placed by patrons, ensures the house will make a gross profit over time.

To offset this mathematical advantage, casinos focus on customer service and promotions. They encourage high-volume play by giving away free goods and services, called comps. They may give away alcoholic drinks, food, hotel rooms, or limo services to big bettors, for example. In addition, security staff is trained to spot unusual patterns in player behavior, such as the way a dealer handles cards or the way players react to other players’ actions.

Casinos are found all over the world, but the United States has the most famous and lavish ones. In 2005, about two-thirds of American adults reported visiting a casino. The typical casino gambler was a forty-six-year-old female from a household with above-average income. The majority of gamblers were married, with 23% having children. Many were college graduates. Gambling is an addictive activity.