A casino is a place where people play games of chance or skill. The most common casino games are roulette, blackjack, poker and slots. Some casinos specialize in certain games or offer a variety of gaming options, such as video poker. Casinos may also feature an array of other activities, including shows and restaurants. Some casinos are famous for their architecture, and many have been featured in films, such as the Bellagio, which is known for its dancing fountains and world-class poker rooms.

A modern casino is heavily regulated, with security staff and cameras everywhere. Dealers are trained to spot blatant cheating, such as palming or marking cards. Table managers and pit bosses oversee games with a wider perspective, watching for patterns in bets that might suggest someone is hiding an advantage. Slot machines and video poker are the economic mainstays of modern casinos, making large amounts of money from high-volume, rapid play at sums ranging from five cents to a dollar. Casinos use technology to monitor their machines regularly, discovering any statistical deviation from the expected result as quickly as possible.

Some critics argue that the net value of a casino to a community is negative, because it shifts spending from other forms of entertainment and hurts local employment. Others point to the harm caused by compulsive gambling, which drains casino profits and lowers housing values in surrounding neighborhoods. Casinos are located in cities and towns around the world, and a few states have legalized them on Indian reservations, which are not subject to state antigambling statutes.