A casino is a gambling establishment. The word can also refer to the games played there, or the business of running a casino. Casinos may offer a variety of games and may have restaurants, bars, and other entertainment options. Casinos may be located in land-based or online locations.
Some casinos are built in exotic locations. Venice’s Casino di Venezia, for example, is considered one of the most beautiful casinos in Europe.
Other casinos may be themed around famous movies or television shows. For instance, WinStar World Casino and Resort is home to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, as well as the Dallas Cowboys Bar & Grill.
Gambling in some form has been a part of human culture for millennia. In ancient China, wooden blocks were used for games of chance, dice appeared in Rome, and playing cards came into use in the 1400s. Modern casinos often include a variety of table games, such as blackjack and craps, and gaming machines, such as slot machines and video poker. In some games, such as poker, the house makes money by taking a share of each pot or charging an hourly fee.
The large amounts of cash handled within a casino can make it tempting for patrons and employees to cheat or steal, in collusion or independently. To combat this, many casinos employ a combination of physical security and specialized surveillance departments. Some have catwalks in the ceiling that allow surveillance personnel to look down directly on activities at the tables and slots.