Casino management therefore needs to ensure that customers are not unfairly favored at any time. This is why all casinos take a percentage (i.e., rake) from each bet. The more bets are placed and the more wagers, the more revenue will be realized. If the player wins, the player loses the amount equal to the rake taken. If the player loses, then the player wins the amount of the rake taken from the winning bet.

The house advantage, or edge, is the difference between what the house wins and the average payout to all players. To maintain a positive house advantage, the casino must make a profit on every casino player wager regardless of the outcome.

If the house's average payout exceeds the rake taken on each player wager, the house has an advantage over the players and loses less money than the rake taken on a losing wager. To keep the house advantage low and the game fair to the player, some casinos limit the amount of bets a player may place within a given period of time. This is done by allowing the player only so many free plays, credits, chips or tickets per game or per day.