A casino, also known as a gambling house, is a building or room equipped for certain types of gambling. Modern casinos often combine a gambling floor with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports. Casino may also refer to:
Many casino games are based on chance, and in most cases the house has a mathematically determined advantage over the players, which is called the house edge or vigorish. Some games have a skill element, and those who master the necessary skills can reduce the house’s advantage to zero or less.
The economic mainstay of a casino is usually its slot machines and video poker machines, which generate large amounts of money from high-volume play at sums ranging from a few cents to a dollar or more. In contrast, table games such as roulette and craps appeal to small bettors, and require a lower percentage of the total amount wagered to break even.
In the United States, legal casinos have been established in Atlantic City, Nevada; Puerto Rico; and several American Indian reservations, where state laws do not prohibit their operation. Other notable casinos include those in Estoril, Portugal; Corfu, Greece; and Baden-Baden and Bad Homburg von der Hohe, Germany. Casinos have become major tourist destinations in their own right, and are a significant source of revenue for cities and towns where they are located.