A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are operated by religious organizations, while others are owned and operated by public corporations. A number of countries have regulated gambling, and some have banned it altogether. A casino may also be a place where concerts, shows, or other events are hosted.

The modern casino is like an indoor amusement park for adults, with the vast majority of its entertainment (and profits for the owner) coming from games of chance. Musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers, and lavish hotels help draw in the crowds, but slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, and keno provide the billions of dollars in profit that casinos rake in each year.

Although some gamblers are prone to cheating (or at least try to), casinos employ various measures to reduce this risk. Elaborate security systems feature cameras that monitor patrons and the games themselves, with a high-tech eye-in-the-sky that can adjust to focus on suspicious players. During the 1990s, most casinos also installed electronic chips that have built-in microcircuitry to allow them to supervise and monitor betting patterns.

Casinos often reward their most frequent and highest-spending players with free goods and services, such as hotel rooms, show tickets, limo service, and airline tickets. But some critics argue that this practice dilutes the gambling experience, promotes addiction, and diverts spending from other forms of local entertainment—and that the costs of treating problem gamblers and lost productivity counteract any economic benefits that casinos might bring.