A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and cruise ships. They may also be standalone facilities. In addition to slot machines and table games, some casinos offer live entertainment such as stand-up comedy and concerts.

A number of jurisdictions have legalized casinos. In the United States, they are mostly located in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and other cities with large populations. Many American Indian reservations have casinos, as well. In some cases, tribal casinos operate separately from state-licensed ones, even though the same gaming laws apply.

The gambling business is a high-risk industry, and casinos must be vigilant about cheating and theft by both patrons and employees. Security measures vary, but most casinos employ a combination of video surveillance and human observation. In addition, casinos use technology to supervise the actual games. For example, betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that interacts with electronic systems at the tables to enable casinos to oversee the exact amounts wagered minute by minute and to quickly discover any statistical deviation from expectations; roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to detect any anomalies.

Casinos are renowned for their decadence, with the finest furniture and decorations in opulent settings. Some of them are so lavish that they have been featured in novels and films, most notably the Monte Carlo casino, which was depicted in the Ben Mezrich book Busting Vegas and the subsequent movie of the same name.