A casino, or gaming house, is an establishment for gambling. Casinos are most often built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. They usually offer table games, slot machines, and video poker. Some casinos also feature theaters and other live entertainment. In some countries, casinos are licensed and regulated by government authorities.
Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia, with evidence dating back to 2300 BC in China. Dice appeared in Rome in the 1400s, and card games came around 500 years later, followed by table games such as baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.
Casinos are typically open 24 hours a day and serve customers from all over the world. To attract high-stakes gamblers, many have extravagant inducements such as free spectacular entertainment, hotel rooms, reduced-fare transportation, and even food and drinks while gambling. Some casinos also provide comps to locals and frequent visitors, such as free or discounted rooms, meals, show tickets, and other merchandise.
Most casinos have security measures in place to prevent cheating or theft by patrons or employees. These include video cameras, sophisticated chip tracking systems that monitor the exact amounts wagered minute by minute and warn of any anomaly, and electronically monitored roulette wheels to discover quickly any statistical deviation from expected results. Because large amounts of money are handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to try to steal, either in collusion or independently.