What Is a Casino?

When most people hear the word casino, they think of a hotel or other large entertainment venue in Las Vegas that is a glitzy, fun and noisy place. But the definition of a casino in the Merriam Webster Dictionary is actually much more broad — it refers to any establishment for gambling. Some casinos are stand-alone buildings, while others are combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops or cruise ships. Some casinos also offer live entertainment such as stand-up comedy, concerts or sports events. And, in military and non-military usage, a casino (Spanish) or Kasino (German) is an officers’ mess.

Although many types of gambling are conducted in casinos, the term is most often used to describe table games supervised by a live croupier, such as blackjack, roulette and craps. It also applies to card games such as poker and baccarat, and even games that involve random numbers such as bingo and sports betting. The federal government classifies casinos according to their type of gaming and other amenities offered, and they are assigned a six-digit code under the North American Industry Classification System.

Because of the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal. To discourage this, security measures are put in place. Some of these are technological, such as cameras placed throughout the facility, while other more physical measures include rules of conduct and surveillance personnel observing the activities of gamblers from catwalks above the casino floor.