A casino is a gambling establishment, usually in the United States, that provides a wide variety of games for its patrons to gamble in. Casinos also offer a variety of other entertainment options such as restaurants and live music. They may also include sports betting and horse racing gambling. In addition, many casinos have a variety of hotel rooms and other luxury amenities to attract high-rollers.

Casinos make their money by adding a built in profit to the amount of money that people bet on their games. This built in profit is known as the house edge. Although the advantage is small, it can add up to millions of dollars over time. This makes casino gambling a very profitable business for some. To attract the attention of gamblers, some casinos have extravagant buildings with a variety of architecture and features such as fountains, towers, pyramids and replicas of famous structures.

Because large amounts of currency are handled in casinos, security is a major concern. Because of this, all modern casinos are wired with cameras and electronic surveillance systems. These systems enable casino security personnel to monitor activities in the gaming areas from catwalks above the floor, through one way glass. This allows security to quickly detect any suspicious activity. Moreover, something about gambling (perhaps the presence of huge amounts of money) seems to encourage people to cheat and steal, either in collusion with others or independently. As such, many casinos have extensive anti-cheating and theft policies.