A casino is a building or room where people can gamble on games of chance, in some cases with an element of skill. Most casino games have mathematically determined odds, which give the house an advantage over players (except in games such as poker where the house takes a commission called the rake). Casinos earn billions of dollars in profits from gambling every year, but their main attraction is entertainment value. Musical shows, lighted fountains, shopping centers and elaborate themes help lure tourists. But casinos would not exist without the games of chance that provide the bulk of their earnings. Slot machines, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps and poker are just some of the gambling games that generate the money that keeps the doors open at the world’s most popular casinos.

Gambling in one form or another has existed in almost every society since the dawn of civilization. Although there is no precise date for the origin of gambling, it can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Elizabethan England and Napoleon’s France. In modern times, the first true casinos began to appear in the 1980s. They started in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and on American Indian reservations. Other states soon realized they could capitalize on the same attraction by legalizing casino gambling.

Casinos employ a variety of security measures to deter cheating and other crimes. For example, they monitor cameras and use electronic systems to supervise the games themselves. For instance, betting chips have microcircuitry that allows the casinos to know exactly how much money is being wagered minute-by-minute; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored regularly to detect statistical deviations from their expected results.