A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants and/or retail shopping. Many are known for their entertainment offerings, such as live music and shows. The term casino may also refer to a gaming machine or any of the card games such as poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette and craps.

A large percentage of a casino’s profits come from gamblers. To attract and keep them, casinos offer free food and drink (a casino ’s comp program), hotel rooms, show tickets, and other perks. Comps help generate repeat business, reduce the amount of money a gambler needs to spend, and develop a database that can be used for marketing purposes.

Despite the flashy lights, towering fountains and elaborate hotels, a casino’s primary attraction remains gambling. Slot machines, black jack, roulette, craps and keno provide the billions of dollars in profit that casinos rake in every year.

Something about gambling (probably the large amounts of money involved) seems to encourage people to cheat and steal, either in collusion or independently. As a result, casinos invest a great deal of time, effort and money in security measures. Cameras and other technological tools are used to keep gamblers and staff safe.

In the US, the largest concentration of casinos is in Las Vegas. However, other cities, such as Atlantic City, New Jersey and Chicago have established themselves as major gaming centers as well. In addition, some Native American tribes have their own casinos.