A casino is a place where people can gamble on games of chance. Musical shows, lighted fountains, elaborate hotels and themed restaurants help lure in the customers, but casinos would not exist without the games themselves. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette and craps generate the billions in profits that casinos rake in each year.
The casino industry is regulated in most countries, and many states have laws that prevent casinos from opening in their jurisdictions. In the United States, casinos are licensed by state governments and are usually based in large cities such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City. In addition, several American Indian reservations have casinos. Casinos are also found in some Latin American nations.
Casinos make their money by charging players a “vig” or “house edge” on all the bets placed in the games. This advantage can be as low as two percent, but it adds up over the millions of bets made by casino patrons each year. The vig is usually the largest source of revenue for a casino, but it is often offset by other sources of income such as food sales, retail shops and hotel rooms.
The earliest examples of gambling likely date back thousands of years, with primitive protodice and carved six-sided dice being found at archeological sites. The modern casino as we know it today probably developed in the 16th century, during a casino craze that swept Europe. In the 19th century, American casinos began to appear on Native American reservations and in Atlantic City.
