A casino, also known as a gambling house or a gaming room, is a facility for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are built as standalone buildings, while others are incorporated into hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships or other tourist attractions. In some cases, casinos are even located on private property. A casino is a place where people can gamble, usually with a minimum bet and in exchange for comps (free items). Casinos are typically operated by licensed gambling operators and are subject to state licensing and regulation.
Most states have laws that prohibit anyone from playing at a casino who is not of legal age. In addition, most casinos require that patrons sign a self-exclusion list and/or submit to a criminal background check prior to play.
Casinos are designed to appeal to the senses and make the gambling experience as exciting and pleasurable as possible. The lights, sound, and atmosphere are designed to create a cheering environment and the machines’ sounds are electronically tuned to the musical key of C to be pleasing to human ears. More than 15,000 miles (24,000 km) of neon tubing is used to light Las Vegas casinos along the Strip.
Most casinos provide a variety of games. Gamblers can place bets on sports, horse races, poker and other card games, video games, table games like blackjack and roulette, and many other things. Casinos hire mathematicians and computer programmers to analyze game odds and variance in order to maximize their profits.