A Casino is a gambling establishment where people wager money on games of chance. It is often located in or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and cruise ships. Some casinos also offer entertainment and live sports events.

In the United States, the casino industry is dominated by Las Vegas and its surrounding region. However, the increasing popularity of Internet gambling is expected to expand the market significantly in the future.

Casinos are usually staffed with people who have extensive experience in dealing with gamblers and promoting the gaming concept. Casino staff are trained to recognize players and their tendencies, and they often take disciplinary action for excessive betting or other irregularities. In addition, security personnel are positioned to respond quickly to any suspicious activity.

As gambling is a very social activity, the casino environment is designed to encourage interaction between gamblers and between patrons and casino staff. Often the atmosphere is loud and crowded, with gamblers shouting encouragement or playing in teams to compete against each other. Alcoholic drinks are readily available and frequently served to players, and casino employees circulate throughout the casino offering assistance.

Although casino gambling is a form of chance, it is a business, and casinos strive to make the most of every opportunity. Because of this, casino games have built-in mathematical expectancies that ensure that the house will win a certain percentage of all bets placed. As a result, it is very rare for a casino to lose money on a single game. This virtual assurance of gross profit enables casinos to offer big bettors extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, transportation and elegant living quarters.