A casino (or casiono, or casin) is a facility that offers chances to win money by gambling. The games offered include chance-based ones like blackjack and video poker, as well as games involving skill such as craps, roulette, and baccarat. The facility also includes bars, restaurants and other entertainment. Casinos are located in places where gambling is legal and can be regulated. Some countries prohibit casinos altogether, while others endorse them and regulate them.

Most modern casinos have a central control room that monitors the game areas. They employ gaming mathematicians and analysts to ensure that the house does not lose too much money, and to determine the minimum amount of cash required in reserve. The work of these professionals is a crucial part of the overall casino operation.

Despite the high profits that can be made, casinos have a darker side. Casinos are often associated with organized crime, and mafia money flowed into Reno and Las Vegas during the 1950s. Several mobster families owned or controlled casinos, and their money came from criminal activities such as extortion and loansharking.

Casinos are primarily profit-driven enterprises, and the houses have an advantage over the players in almost all games. This advantage, calculated as the expected value of a wager in games with some element of skill, is known as the house edge. Casinos also earn money through commissions, called rakes, in games such as poker. They also offer comps, or complimentary goods and services, to big spenders.