A casino (or casino) is a gambling establishment. Some casinos are world-famous for the luxury they offer and for the thrills that can be had on their gaming floors. Others are famed for their beauty and the wholesomeness of the experience they offer visitors. Many people are introduced to casinos through Hollywood movies, which have helped them conceive of these places as luxurious playgrounds for the rich and famous.

A modern casino is a complex of buildings and rooms where people can gamble on games of chance. Casinos are also often combined with hotels and resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and even cruise ships. The word is derived from the Italian cazino, meaning “little country house.” Casino may also refer to:

In some countries, casinos are licensed and regulated by government authorities. The legality of casinos varies from country to country, as some jurisdictions have banned gambling or have strict rules about how it is conducted. Most major casinos have an internal department responsible for monitoring compliance with laws and regulations. Those departments are usually assisted by external consultants. Many casinos employ specialist mathematicians and computer programmers to help develop and analyze game theory, and to create software to simulate and predict the results of games. Casinos also use this information to determine the expected return on investment for each game they offer. This is known as the house edge or mathematical advantage. It is mathematically certain that the casino will make a profit, over time, on bets placed by patrons.