A casino (also known as a gaming establishment or a gambling house) is a place where people gamble money in various games of chance. Casino games include slot machines, table games (like blackjack and roulette), and poker. Some casinos offer a combination of games, while others specialize in one. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues.

Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia. The precise origin of gambling is unknown, but it was probably widespread among ancient civilizations, and was popularized by the Chinese around 2300 BC. Dice and cards became popular in the 1400s, and baccarat was introduced in the 1600s. In modern times, casinos have become a major source of entertainment.

Casinos make their profits from the house edge and variance, which is a mathematically determined difference between expected value and actual payouts. This makes it extremely difficult for a casino to lose money on any given game. This is why they are able to offer free spectacular entertainment, reduced-fare transportation, luxury living quarters and other inducements for high-betting patrons.

Because of the large amounts of currency handled within casinos, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal. To combat this, most casinos have a number of security measures in place. These range from requiring that players be of legal age to wear ID badges, to installing CCTV cameras throughout the building. In addition to these, many casinos have trained casino guards, who are able to spot cheating or stealing.