A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Most casinos are known for providing various types of gambling games, including video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and baccarat. Some casinos also offer sports betting. In addition, some casinos host entertainment shows featuring popular musical artists and actors.

Casinos are regulated by gaming authorities and may be closed when they fail to meet operational or safety standards. They are often located near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. They employ a large number of staff, both full and part time, to run the various games and oversee the security of patrons and employees.

Historically, the term casino has referred to a public hall for music and dancing; by the second half of the 19th century, it came to refer to a collection of gambling or gaming rooms. The largest and best-known casino in the world is in Monte Carlo, a city in the Principality of Monaco. It has been open since 1863 and is famous for its luxury, atmosphere, and opulent architecture.

Casinos are often targets for crime, especially money-laundering and other illegal activities. To counter these risks, casinos use various measures, such as cameras, to monitor patrons and employee activity. They also hire specialized mathematicians to determine the house edge and variance of each game; this information is essential for planning purposes, and the resulting work is sometimes called a “casino analysis” or a “gaming audit”. In addition, casinos use technology to prevent cheating by both players and workers. For example, some games have chips with built-in microcircuitry that allow them to be tracked minute by minute, and roulette wheels are electronically monitored to discover any deviation from their expected results.