A casino is a gambling establishment where people can gamble. It may also refer to:
In the United States, casinos are a major source of tourism and income, with some cities having been specifically built around them. Las Vegas is perhaps the best known casino city, although there are casinos in many other places, including Atlantic City and Chicago. There are also many online casinos that allow players to gamble from anywhere in the world.
While gambling is often associated with the idea of chance, there is a great deal of skill involved in most casino games. This is especially true in card games such as poker and blackjack, where the player must make decisions based on the strength of his hand, the cards he has been dealt, and the rules of the game. Some casino games, such as roulette and craps, require more skill than others.
Although gambling is not a sure thing, casinos are generally very profitable businesses, and it is rare for them to lose money on any given day. To assure this profitability, casinos have a number of built-in advantages for their patrons, which are known as the house edge. These advantage vary by game, with the lowest edge belonging to blackjack and the highest residing in craps. In order to mitigate this advantage, some casinos offer special inducements to high bettors, such as free spectacular entertainment and luxurious living quarters.