A casino (also called a gambling house or a gaming club) is an establishment offering certain types of gambling. Casinos are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertainment events such as stand-up comedy and concerts.

The most famous casino in the world is probably the Bellagio in Las Vegas, made famous by the movie Ocean’s 11. Other well-known casinos include Monte Carlo in Monaco and the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden, Germany.

Almost all modern casinos have some form of surveillance system. Casino security personnel patrol the floor to spot suspicious activity and alert police if necessary. Elaborate surveillance systems offer a high-tech eye-in-the-sky, with cameras in the ceiling that can be adjusted to watch every table, window and doorway.

The casino is a business, and it has built-in advantages that ensure that it will win the vast majority of the money played there. These advantages are summed up in the concept of the house edge, which is the average amount that the casino will retain per hand or spin, given normal patterns of play. The house edge is not a fixed amount; it changes over time, depending on how many people gamble and what type of games are offered. Table games, for example, have a higher house edge than slot machines. Table games are also more likely to have cheating, as players can exchange chips with each other and use specialized dice or cards.