What Is a Casino?

A casino is a building that houses a gambling establishment. It may also house non-gambling entertainment attractions such as hotels, restaurants and bars. Many casinos also offer a variety of games, including slot machines and video poker. The largest casinos can be found in Las Vegas, which is the world’s most popular gambling destination. These massive megacasinos feature impressive size, beautiful decor and a mindblowing number of games. In addition to gaming, they often feature non-gambling activities such as swimming pools and spas.

Most casino games are based on chance, although some require skill. The odds of winning are set by mathematical formulas that give the casino an advantage over the players, which is called the house edge. The casino can make a profit from the game in spite of these odds, as long as enough people gamble to keep the revenue flowing.

The majority of casino revenue is generated from table games. Slot machine play is the second most popular activity, but the casino industry has diversified in recent years with the rise of Internet gambling and other types of electronic gaming. In the United States, there are over 3,000 legal casino operations.

Despite their image as a seedy business, most casinos are run by legitimate businessmen. Mob money flowed steadily into casinos during the boom in Reno and Las Vegas, but real estate investors and hotel chains soon had more cash than the mobsters, so they bought out the mafia interests and ran their own casinos without mob interference. Federal crackdowns and the risk of losing a casino license at the slightest hint of mob involvement help to keep organized crime out of the casino business today.