A casino is an establishment for gambling, often combined with hotels and resorts. Many of these casinos offer an extensive array of table games, as well as slot machines and other electronic gaming devices. Many also offer live entertainment, such as shows and concerts. In the United States, casinos are often located in or combined with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and other tourist attractions.

The word casino is derived from the Italian casona, meaning “cloister.” In the early 20th century, a number of large public gambling houses in Italy were closed down. This pushed gambling into smaller private clubhouses, which eventually became known as casinos. In the United States, casinos became more common after state governments legalized gambling.

Casinos earn money from patrons by taking a small percentage of bets, usually two percent or less. This is called the house edge, and it ensures that the casino will make a profit over time. The casino’s profits are then used to fund fancy hotels, elaborate fountains, towers and replicas of famous landmarks.

The casino business has a shady reputation, and the mobsters who ran Reno and Las Vegas in the 1950s were keen on using the profits from their illegal rackets to expand and renovate the casinos. Some mobsters even took full or partial ownership of the casinos, and they could use their power to influence game outcomes. Today, the casino industry is dominated by chain and tribal operators who spend huge amounts of money on advertising and building new locations.