A casino, or gaming house, is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports events. In modern times, some casinos have become large complexes that feature a variety of entertainment venues as well as traditional gambling tables and slot machines.
Casinos are most commonly located in states that allow legal gambling, or on Native American reservations where state anti-gambling laws do not apply. In the United States, there are over 1,000 casinos. Many of these are concentrated in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. However, there are also a number in other cities and states, as well as internationally.
Modern casinos use a wide variety of security measures to deter cheating and theft by patrons and employees. These measures include physical security forces, as well as closed circuit television and other electronic monitoring systems. Some casinos also have catwalks in the ceiling above the gaming floor, which enable surveillance personnel to look directly down on the games being played.
Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia, with evidence dating back to 2300 BC in China, and later in Roman Egypt and medieval Europe. Some of the earliest forms of gambling included dice and playing cards. In the late 20th century, casino gambling spread to the United States, first through Atlantic City and then across the country. In the 1990s, Native American reservations began to open their own casinos, which are often not subject to state anti-gambling laws.