A casino, also known as a gaming house or a gambling hall, is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other entertainment venues. In the United States, casinos are regulated by state law and are frequently licensed by local jurisdictions. In some cases, they are operated by tribes, who have sovereignty over the land on which they operate.
The most famous casino is the Monte-Carlo Resort and Casino, located in Monaco. Other notable casinos include the Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas in Nevada, the Venetian and Palazzo in Italy, and the Grand Casino de Montreal in Canada. Casinos are also found on American Indian reservations and in other countries around the world.
There are many different games that can be played in a casino, but most of them involve betting against the house. Some of the most common games are craps, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and poker. A casino may also offer more exotic games, such as sic bo (a game that spread to the west from Asia in the 1990s), fan-tan, and pai gow.
The casino industry is dominated by large corporations, and it has been growing rapidly. Because casino gambling is legal in most areas, the competition for customers is intense. In order to attract and retain players, casinos offer comps such as free rooms, meals, tickets to shows, and even limo service and airline tickets for big spenders. The comps are designed to offset the house edge, which is built into all casino games.