A casino is a place where people gamble. It is usually combined with a hotel, restaurant, and other entertainment venues. It is also sometimes known as a gambling house or a gaming room. In the United States, it is often called a Vegas.

In some countries, casinos are the only places where certain types of gambling are legal. In the US, most state-licensed casinos are located in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but they can also be found on Native American reservations. Some casinos are owned by gambling corporations, but many others are operated by private individuals and family-owned businesses.

Because large amounts of money are handled within casinos, patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal in collusion or independently; as a result, security measures are taken to prevent these activities. These include cameras placed throughout the facility, rules of conduct for players (such as keeping cards visible at all times), and a generally heightened sense of security.

Casinos are designed to make money by providing games of chance that have a built in advantage for the house. This advantage can be small (less than two percent), but over time it earns casinos millions of dollars in income. These profits are used to fund the elaborate hotels, fountains, towers, and replicas of famous landmarks that characterize many casinos. Despite this, critics argue that casinos do not generate the level of economic benefit that they claim. They say that they primarily draw in local people, who replace spending on other forms of entertainment, and that the cost of treating problem gamblers and lost productivity reverses any economic gains.