A casino is an establishment for gambling, often combined with hotels, restaurants and/or retail shops. It features game tables (like roulette, blackjack and baccarat), slot machines and other forms of gaming. A casino may also host live entertainment such as concerts and stand-up comedy.

Something about the games of chance within casinos seems to encourage cheating and stealing, either in collusion or independent of it. As a result, casinos invest an enormous amount of time, effort and money into security measures. These include cameras located throughout the facility, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down on table and slot activities through one-way glass.

The majority of casino games are based on chance, with some involving skill and/or knowledge. These games include craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack and video poker. Casinos make money by charging customers to play these games, or through a fee known as the vig or the house edge. They also collect a percentage of the money wagered on table and slot machines, which is known as the rake.

For much of its history, the casino industry was dominated by organized crime figures and mafia families. Mob money provided the bankroll for many casinos, and they frequently took sole or partial ownership of them. In the twenty-first century, real estate investors and hotel chains have become the major financiers of casino operations. The mob still provides the bankroll for some casinos, but federal crackdowns on gambling and their seamy image have kept them from taking over many of the industry’s major operations.