A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. These include casinos owned and operated by governments, private businesses, and Native American tribes. Casinos can be built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos host live entertainment, and many have luxury accommodations and spas. A casino can also feature a number of games, such as blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker.
Because of the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal. Casinos have security measures in place to prevent this, ranging from surveillance cameras to highly trained personnel. However, these measures are not foolproof. In the past, a casino in Las Vegas was known to have had security flaws that allowed employees to steal money from gamblers.
In 2005, the average casino gambler was a forty-six-year-old woman from a household with above-average income. The same year, 24% of Americans reported having visited a casino in the previous twelve months.
In the United States, casinos are regulated by state and local laws. The casino industry is a major source of revenue for some states, especially those that allow it to operate free-standing facilities or combine it with other types of entertainment, such as retail stores, dining, and hotel rooms. Casinos are also a significant employer in some states, with more than half of the employment in the industry being held by people with at least some college education or a trade certificate.