A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Customers gamble by placing bets against the house or other players. Most casinos offer a wide variety of gambling activities, including roulette, craps, baccarat, blackjack, and video poker. Most of these games have mathematically determined odds that give the house a permanent advantage over the players. This advantage is usually expressed as a percentage of the total amount wagered, and it can be as low as 1 percent in games like roulette that appeal to small bettors.

In modern times, casinos have become a major source of revenue for many cities and states. Nevada, for example, draws huge numbers of tourists to its casinos each year. Its reputation as a gambling destination has made it the largest casino market in the United States, followed by Atlantic City and New Jersey.

The first casinos were run by mafia crime figures who saw them as a way to launder money from their drug, extortion and other illegal activities. The mobsters provided the bankroll and often took sole or partial ownership of the casinos. They also hired a number of managers and pit bosses to manage the operations and control security.

A key element of casino security is the use of surveillance cameras. These allow casino staff to keep an eye on patrons, watch their betting patterns and detect cheating. Some casinos remove windows and clocks from their facilities to prevent players from realizing how long they’ve been gambling or how much they’ve spent.