A Casino is a gambling establishment where people can gamble and play games of chance. While lavish hotels, lighted fountains and shopping centers help to draw in the crowds, it is the games of chance that provide the billions of dollars in profits that casinos rake in every year.

In the past, casinos were often owned by mobster families, but the mobs found themselves increasingly outmatched by real estate investors and hotel chains who saw the potential for big profits from a business that combined luxury entertainment with gambling. The mobsters were also subject to frequent federal crackdowns on organized crime. Today’s casinos are much more sophisticated than those of the past and are designed with both the gambling and non-gambling experience in mind. Some are even themed. The Hippodrome in London, England is a beautiful old theatre that is used as a casino, while the Casino at Baden-Baden in Germany was actually built to serve as a performance center.

The most famous casino is probably the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada which has a number of popular tables and over 130 slots. It is also well known for its sports betting which includes 60 large plasma screens where people can bet on American football, boxing and martial arts. Those who spend lots of money at the casinos can get comps which can include free rooms, meals, tickets to shows and even limo service and airline tickets.