Casino is an entertainment complex, sometimes a hotel, that offers gaming and other recreational activities. Gambling in the United States is regulated on a state-by-state basis, and casinos are usually licensed or bonded by the government in order to conduct business. In addition, many states require that a certain percentage of the profits be turned over to the local government for various gambling-related activities.

Although musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and lavish hotels draw crowds to casinos, they would not exist without games of chance, which generate billions in annual profits. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and poker are among the most popular games. Often, these games have built in edges that can be small (lower than two percent), but the millions of bets placed by patrons earns the casinos enough money to pay for their extravagant decorations, including giant pyramids, towers and replicas of famous landmarks.

While most casinos are located in cities or resorts, some are found in rural areas. In some cases, the only thing separating a casino from the rest of the world is a river or ocean. In the United States, casinos are legal in Nevada, New Jersey and Atlantic City, as well as on Indian reservations. While the casinos are big businesses that make huge profits, critics point out that they drain local communities by drawing in people who would otherwise spend their money elsewhere; and that the economic costs of treating problem gamblers offset any financial benefits the casinos may provide.