A casino is a place where gambling activities take place. It consists of one or more gaming rooms, and offers a wide range of games for patrons to choose from. Many casinos also offer dining, shopping, entertainment, and meeting and convention space. Casinos earn billions of dollars each year for the companies, investors, and Native American tribes that own them. They also generate revenue for local, state and federal governments. Despite their enormous profits, casinos are not universally popular. Some people dislike the idea of having to spend large amounts of money in order to gamble, while others find the atmosphere oppressive or demeaning.

In the United States, there are over 1,000 casinos. They can be found in large resorts, standalone buildings, and even on cruise ships. The largest casinos in the world are located in Las Vegas and Macau. Casinos are also found in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Detroit, Michigan; and Reno, Nevada. Many other states have legalized casinos, and more are considering doing so.

Casinos typically have very strict rules about who can gamble and what they can bet on. They limit the maximum amount of money that a patron can win in a given period. They also have a high security presence that watches the floor and patrons through cameras in the ceiling, in an attempt to catch cheating or suspicious behavior. This “eye-in-the-sky” surveillance system is sometimes supplemented by a network of catwalks over the gaming floor, which allow security personnel to look directly down on tables and slot machines.