A casino (also known as a gambling house or a gaming room) is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Casinos are most commonly associated with hotels, but may also be found in other tourist destinations such as resorts, theme parks and cruise ships. In the United States, casinos are often regulated by state and local laws. Many casinos are owned and operated by corporations, while others are run as private enterprises. Some casinos feature both a hotel and a casino, as well as other entertainment venues such as restaurants and bars.

The games played in casinos generally provide a predictable long-term advantage to the house, and the players have the opportunity for short-term gain. Skilled players can reduce this house edge, and are sometimes referred to as advantage players. Casinos employ a variety of security measures to prevent cheating and theft by both patrons and employees. These measures include a large amount of surveillance cameras in and around the casino.

While Las Vegas is the best-known casino city, several other cities and countries have casinos. Europe saw a large increase in the number of casinos during the expansion of gambling in the latter half of the 20th century, with most of them being located in cities such as Monte Carlo and Cannes, France.

The oldest casino in the world is Italy’s Casino di Venezia, which opened in 1774 and is still operational. The Mauro Codussi-designed building was originally a theater, but the casino was in operation during performance intermissions until 1960.