A casino, or gambling house, is an establishment that offers various forms of legalized wagering. The casino industry is a large source of revenue for some states. It also contributes to the economy of cities such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City, which are built around their casinos. Casinos are generally owned and operated by private companies but may be licensed by a state. They can be found in the United States and internationally.

Casinos make money by charging patrons an edge on the games. This edge can be small, lower than two percent, but it adds up over the millions of dollars of bets made. The casinos then use that money to build elaborate hotels, fountains, pyramids and towers.

Because of the high volumes of cash handled inside a casino, there is always the potential for cheating and theft by both staff and patrons. These risks are mitigated by security measures. Most modern casinos have cameras throughout the property that monitor everything. A casino’s security workers in a separate room filled with banks of monitors can adjust the cameras to focus on suspicious patrons. In addition to the cameras, some casinos have an “eye-in-the-sky” surveillance system that allows them to monitor every table, change window and doorway.

Besides slots and video poker, the most popular casino games are blackjack and baccarat. In the US, a casino may also offer regular poker tables where patrons play each other and the casino makes its profit by taking a cut of the pot or charging an hourly fee to players.