A casino is a building or room where people can play gambling games, especially those that involve chance. Most casinos also offer food and drink, luxury accommodations and entertainment. The term is not restricted to gambling establishments that host poker tournaments; it can apply to any place where people can gamble on games of chance, such as roulette or blackjack.

A modern casino is often designed with the goal of maximizing profits. Each game has a built in statistical advantage for the casino, which is known as the house edge. The amount of this edge varies from game to game, but it is usually less than two percent. Over time, this profit makes casinos a profitable venture for owners. This profitability has allowed some casinos to build elaborate hotels, fountains, towers and replicas of famous landmarks.

Most modern casinos employ a combination of physical security forces and a specialized surveillance department. The latter uses cameras in the ceiling that give a view of all tables, windows and doorways at once. They can be adjusted to focus on suspicious patrons by workers in a separate room filled with banks of monitors. This high-tech “eye in the sky” is effective in preventing criminal activity.

In the past, some casinos were run by organized crime groups like the mafia. However, real estate investors and hotel chains with deep pockets bought out the mobster interests and now own many of the world’s most famous casinos.