The world’s best casinos offer a lot more than just gaming facilities. They’re attached to top-notch hotels, spas, restaurants, and other entertainment venues. They offer a unique gambling experience that is often surrounded by flashing lights and glamour.

One thing that all casino gamblers must keep in mind is that the house always wins. The advantage that a casino builds into every game, known as the “house edge,” can be as low as two percent, but it adds up over millions of bets. That’s how casinos can afford to build fountains, giant pyramids, towers, and replicas of famous landmarks.

In the past, mafia-run casinos were a major part of the industry. But as real estate investors and hotel chains realized that they could make more money than the mob, they bought out the gangsters. Federal crackdowns and the threat of losing a casino license at even the slightest hint of Mafia involvement meant that legitimate business owners kept mobsters away from their gambling cash cows.

The most popular casino games include card and table games like poker, blackjack, roulette, and craps. In addition to those, some casinos also offer a variety of video poker and slot machines. Some even offer traditional Far Eastern games such as sic bo (which spread to several European and American casinos during the 1990s), fan-tan, and pai gow.