A casino, also known as a gambling house or gaming establishment, is a place for certain types of gambling. Its customers gamble by playing games of chance or skill, with the most common being slots, table games and card games. A casino may also offer a variety of other entertainment options such as live music and sporting events. Many casinos have special VIP programs that offer additional benefits like faster cash-out times and exclusive bonuses.

According to a study conducted by Gemini Research, in March 2002, more than half of Nevada citizens who reported participating in casino gambling, selected slot machines as their favorite game. Card games, such as blackjack and poker, came in second with 30%, while bingo and keno took third and fourth place, with only 6% of the respondents choosing them. Table games such as craps and roulette ranked lower, with only 5% of the respondents favoring them.

The casino business is characterized by large amounts of money being handled and traded, which can be tempting to both patrons and staff to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. This is why casinos have security measures in place to prevent these activities. Some of the most common methods include cameras, surveillance personnel and specially trained employees. Casinos also use mathematical analysis, including the study of odds, to determine their profitability. This is done by professional mathematicians and computer programmers called casino analysts. These analyses can be very complex and require significant computational resources.