A casino is a building or room where people play gambling games. The term may also refer to an establishment that provides gambling services, such as a gaming machine, or it can mean the business of operating a casino. Some casinos specialize in particular kinds of gambling, such as slot machines or poker. Others may focus on a particular geographic area, such as Italy’s Casino di Venezia or the United States’ Las Vegas.

In addition to its obvious attraction as a place to gamble, casinos often offer dining and entertainment. Some are more luxurious than others, such as the Grand Lisboa in Macau, east Asia’s version of Vegas, which offers a glittering façade covered with over a million LED lights. The casino inside lives up to the glitzy exterior, with 800 table games and 1,300 slot machines spread over several floors. Non-gamblers can take in a show or browse the contemporary art gallery, while the casino attracts big bettors with its low house edge of 1 percent.

Like other businesses, casinos have to make a profit to survive. To do so, they rely on built-in advantages that ensure they will win more money than the players, known as the house edge. This advantage is even higher in games requiring skill, such as blackjack and baccarat. For games where the patrons compete against each other, such as poker, the casino earns a commission, known as the rake, from each pot.