A casino is a place that offers a variety of games of chance and is primarily intended for gambling. A typical casino adds a number of other attractions to appeal to visitors, such as restaurants, bars, shops, museums and theaters. It may also have casino gaming facilities such as poker, roulette, craps and baccarat rooms.

In the United States, casinos are usually large, lavish places that feature many different games of chance and are primarily intended for gambling. Most casinos are located in Las Vegas or Atlantic City and include thousands of slot machines along with hundreds of table games. Casinos also often feature discreet private rooms where high roller or VIP customers can enjoy quiet sessions with a select group of other players.

There have been less luxurious establishments that housed gambling activities and were called casinos, but they typically did not provide the luxuries that are now considered to be an essential part of the modern-day casino. These luxuries include restaurants, free drinks and stage shows.

Gambling is a popular pastime in most societies. People have been engaging in it in some form for centuries. In the United States, the first commercial casinos appeared in the early twentieth century. The earliest ones were run by organized crime syndicates, but mob influence waned and real estate investors and hotel chains bought out the mobsters. The resulting businesses are now run by corporations that strive to avoid any appearance of Mafia influence or control and are subject to regular federal scrutiny.