A casino, also known as a gambling house or gaming establishment, is a place where people can gamble on various games of chance. The most common games are card games, table games and video poker. Casinos may offer a variety of additional services to their patrons such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows.

For the most part, casinos make money by offering games with built in statistical advantages for the house. While these edges can be very small, they add up over millions of bets. In addition, casinos take a percentage of winnings on some games, especially poker where players compete against one another, which is known as the rake or vig.

Many casinos are designed to keep their customers from leaving by providing a wide range of amenities and services. This includes free food and drink (which can lead to intoxication and lessening of judgment), cigarette smoking, oversized rooms, and even water slides. Additionally, casinos use chips instead of actual currency, to make the process of converting money into losing bets more difficult and to prevent players from getting too concerned about their losses.

Despite these amenities, some critics argue that casinos do not bring any substantial economic benefit to the communities they serve. They say that the costs of treating problem gambling and lost productivity due to addicts offset any profits a casino might generate. In addition, casinos hurt property values in local real estate markets.