A casino is a place where people can play various games of chance for money, usually with the help of a dealer or croupier. Most casinos offer table games, such as blackjack and roulette, but some also have slot machines or video poker. Some casinos are owned by governments, while others are private enterprises. In the United States, there are more than thirty-five states that allow some form of legal gambling.

Gambling is the primary business of a casino, and it is what provides most of the billions of dollars in profits raked in by U.S. casinos each year. While musical shows, lighted fountains and themed hotels may attract customers, casinos would not exist without the millions of dollars that gamblers put down on games of chance.

Most casino games have a mathematically determined long-term advantage for the house, known as the house edge or vigorish. However, some table games and slots have an element of skill that can eliminate the house advantage and result in a short-term gain for the player. Players who have mastered these skills are known as advantage players.

Most casinos use sophisticated security measures to deter criminal activity and monitor customers. Surveillance cameras and other technology are used to monitor the movement of patrons within the facility, and a variety of rules govern how patrons must interact with dealers. The routines of certain table games, such as the way a dealer shuffles cards or places chips in the betting spots, follow predictable patterns that make it easier for security personnel to detect cheating.