A casino is a place where people can play various gambling games. Some casinos also have restaurants and bars. The games offered at the casino usually provide a long-term advantage to the house, but some have skill elements that can help players eliminate this disadvantage. The casino industry is heavily regulated by government agencies.
In modern times, casino gambling has spread across the world. Many cities have legalized casinos, including Las Vegas, Nevada; Macau, China; and Singapore. In addition, many American Indian reservations have casinos.
Gambling has been a part of human civilization for millennia, dating back to 2300 BC with the discovery of wooden blocks used in chance games. The first known gambling establishments were baccarat tables in ancient China, followed by dice games and then playing cards, which became popular in Europe in the 1400s.
Most casinos offer a variety of gambling games, such as blackjack, roulette, craps and poker. Some casinos specialize in one or more particular games, such as baccarat, which has become the principal game at European continental casinos. Other games that feature at casinos include keno and trote et quarante in France, and pai gow poker and Caribbean stud in the United States.
Because of the large amounts of money handled by casinos, they are subject to a variety of security threats. Staff and patrons may cheat or steal, in collusion or independently, so most casinos have extensive security measures. These may include video cameras in the casino and on the gambling floor, and sophisticated electronic systems that oversee betting chips with built-in microcircuitry or roulette wheels to detect any statistical deviation from expected results.
