A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Modern casinos are like indoor amusement parks for adults, with lighted fountains, musical shows, lavish hotels, shopping centers and elaborate themes. But they would not exist without the billions of dollars that casino patrons spend each year on games of chance such as blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, keno and video poker.
Most casino games have built in statistical advantages for the house, meaning that the house will win money over time, even if it loses some individual bets. The mathematical advantage can be small — less than two percent — but it adds up to enough to pay for the dazzling hotel and entertainment complexes that have become synonymous with the word casino.
Casinos are also known for their high stakes and big jackpots, which draw in high rollers who gamble huge amounts of money. These high rollers often get comped (free) food, drinks and other services, such as transportation and hotel rooms. Casinos can even give out free spectacular entertainment and limo service to players who wager large sums of money.
There have been many attempts to regulate and control the activities of casino owners and operators, especially after a spate of casino scandals in the 1980s and 1990s. A number of states now have laws governing how casinos operate, while others still prohibit them entirely. A few American Indian reservations have casinos, which are not subject to state anti-gambling statutes.