A casino, or gambling establishment, is an entertainment complex that offers various types of gambling-related activities. The casino business is a multibillion-dollar industry that draws in millions of visitors each year from all over the world, offering them a variety of enjoyable and often lucrative entertainment opportunities.

Casinos provide many amenities to keep their customers entertained, but they would not exist without games of chance, which make them profitable. Slot machines, blackjack, poker, craps and other table games all contribute to the billions of dollars in revenue casinos rake in each year.

While mobsters controlled the first few casino enterprises, the advent of legalized gambling in the United States and Europe brought in large real estate investors and hotel chains. These businesses had deeper pockets than the mobsters and were able to purchase out the mob interests. Today’s casinos are largely run by corporate entities and have strict rules to ensure they do not become Mafia hangouts.

Security at a casino begins on the gaming floor, where employees regularly inspect each game for improprieties. Dealers are heavily trained and can easily spot blatant cheating, like palming or marking cards. In table games, pit bosses and managers supervise the tables with a broader view, making sure players aren’t taking advantage of each other or changing betting patterns.

Most modern casinos feature a wide variety of games, with many specializing in particular areas. In addition to the standard games of chance, most also feature traditional Far Eastern games, such as sic bo (which was introduced to Western casinos in the 1990s), fan-tan and pai-gow. Casinos in the United States offer a variety of other games, including roulette, baccarat, keno and bingo. Some even host daily tournaments for their guests.