A casino is a gambling establishment that offers various table games, such as roulette, blackjack, and craps, as well as slot machines. It also includes a hotel, restaurants, bars, and meeting facilities. In the United States, casinos are usually regulated by state law and must be licensed. In order to receive a license, a casino must pass a rigorous background check and maintain high standards of safety and security.
According to the American Gaming Association, about 51 million people—a quarter of those age 21 and over—visited a casino in 2002. The casino industry is regulated in most of the world by state laws and is overseen internationally by organizations such as the International Casino Association. In many countries, casinos are run as private enterprises and may compete with each other for customers.
The most famous casino in the world is probably the Bellagio in Las Vegas, a luxurious gambling destination that has appeared in countless movies and TV shows. Other top casinos include the Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco, the Casino Lisboa in Lisbon, and the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden in Germany.
Most modern casinos use computer systems to determine the house edge and variance of their games. These programs are often written by mathematicians who specialize in gaming analysis. The work they do is called “gaming mathematics.” These examples have been programmatically selected from several online sources and do not represent the opinions of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
