A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. It may be combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. In some cases, casinos are built on military bases or other military facilities. Casinos are also known as gaming houses, gambling dens, or kasino. In some countries, laws against gambling limit the size and number of casinos.

In the United States, a casino is a licensed establishment that offers gambling on a state-regulated basis. In addition, it must meet certain minimum capitalization requirements. A casino’s license is revoked if the establishment fails to maintain these requirements or if it commits fraud, money laundering, or other serious crimes. In many jurisdictions, casinos are owned and operated by public or private corporations. In other cases, they are run by non-profit organizations.

Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia, in forms as diverse as dice and cards to the modern-day game of blackjack. Some games have a skill element, allowing players to improve their chances of winning by making informed decisions. In most cases, though, the house has a mathematical advantage over the players in casino games. This advantage, known as the house edge, is computed from the expected value of a game given the specific rules and circumstances. It is determined by a team of mathematicians and computer programmers working for the casino and called gaming mathematicians and analysts.

There are three general categories of casino games: gaming machines, table games, and random number games. Gaming machines are those that use a card deck or similar device to determine the outcome of a game, and are usually operated by a croupier. Table games, such as poker or blackjack, involve one or more players competing against the house and are conducted by a dealer. Random number games, such as bingo or keno, are based on the selection of random numbers and are typically conducted by electronic equipment.

Many casinos offer multiple types of games, from traditional table games such as roulette and blackjack to more exotic offerings like sic bo and fan-tan. Some casinos specialize in certain games, such as baccarat in Europe or two-up in Australia. The majority of casinos in the United States, however, are dedicated to slot machines.

A popular form of gambling, a casino is often found in a tourist-heavy destination, such as Las Vegas, where the industry has thrived. In recent decades, however, casinos have begun to pop up in other locations, such as Atlantic City and on American Indian reservations, where state antigambling laws do not apply. In addition, the Internet has made it possible for many people to gamble from home. Because of the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and employees can be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. To prevent this, a number of security measures are in place. Most casinos have video cameras throughout the building to monitor activities.