A casino, also known as a gambling house or a gambling establishment, is an establishment where people can engage in gambling. Some casinos are incorporated as part of hotels, resorts, or restaurants, while others are freestanding buildings. In some countries, casinos are also known as gaming halls.
Gambling in some form has been a part of human culture for millennia, with evidence dating back as far as 2300 BC in China, when archeologists discovered wooden blocks used in games of chance. Dice appeared in Rome around 500 AD, and card games such as baccarat became popular in the 1400s, quickly followed by what is now blackjack.
In the United States, most state-licensed casinos offer a wide variety of electronic and table games. Many also have sports books and race tracks. In addition to the usual slot machines and video poker, some offer live dealer tables and other more sophisticated table games. In Europe, casino games such as baccarat, chemin de fer, and trente et quarante are more commonly available than American blackjack and roulette.
Casinos have built-in advantages that ensure that they, and not their patrons, will win the vast majority of the time. This is called the house edge, and it varies by game. Casinos monitor their house edges closely and make changes to games in response to any anomalies. To help them manage their house edges, they employ gaming mathematicians and other computer experts to analyze the games’ statistics. In addition to monitoring house edges, casinos use technology to supervise games and keep track of bets. For example, betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that allow casinos to oversee bets minute-by-minute and warn them of any deviation from the expected outcome; and roulette wheels are regularly electronically monitored to discover and warn them of statistical deviations.