A casino is a place where people can gamble. The most famous casinos are in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but there are also gambling rooms in other cities, on cruise ships and at racetracks (called racinos). In 2008, about 24% of Americans had visited a casino.

The gambling business is based on chance. It generates billions of dollars each year for the companies, investors and Native American tribes that run casinos. In addition, it brings in tax revenue for local governments. Casinos attract visitors with elaborate hotels, lighted fountains, retail spaces and stage shows. But the bulk of their profits come from the games of chance: slots, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno.

Most casinos have built in advantages for the house that are designed to offset the losses on individual bets. These edges may be small, less than two percent, but they add up over the millions of bets placed each year. The advantage can be different for each game, based on how many players play it and whether the games are played in a live or a computerized setting.

Some casinos attract gamblers by offering a special kind of “comp,” or free good or service, to those who spend more money than the average visitor. These perks can include free hotel rooms, meals, show tickets and even airline tickets. Other casinos focus their attention on high rollers, who gamble in special rooms away from the main floor and whose stakes can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.