A casino, also known as a gambling house or kasino, is a building where various types of gambling activities are carried out. It offers a variety of games such as blackjack, craps, roulette and slot machines, among others. Although casinos include other forms of entertainment such as musical shows, lighted fountains and lavish hotels, they generate the majority of their profits from gambling.

Each game offered by a casino has a built in mathematical advantage for the house. This advantage can be small (less than two percent), but over time and millions of bets, it adds up. Because of this, it is very rare for a casino to lose money on its games—even for one day. This virtual assurance of gross profit allows casinos to offer big bettors extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, luxury transportation and elegant living quarters. Even lesser bettors are often given reduced-fare transportation, hotel rooms, free drinks and cigarettes while gambling and other perks.

Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal. To prevent this, casinos spend a great deal of time and money on security. For example, employees at table games keep a close eye on the players and can quickly spot blatant cheating such as palming, marking or switching cards or dice. Each dealer and pit boss has a higher-up person tracking them, looking for betting patterns that indicate cheating.