Casino is an establishment where a variety of gambling games are played. While casinos offer other forms of entertainment such as musical shows, lighted fountains, luxurious hotels and elaborate themes, the bulk of the profits raked in by casino owners comes from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat and keno make up the vast majority of the games offered in casinos today.

While gambling in some form or another is a part of nearly every society, the casino as we know it didn’t appear until the 16th century, when the Italian aristocracy built private clubs called ridotti [Source: Schwartz]. Although they technically weren’t allowed to gamble there due to the country’s antigambling laws, these venues were a popular place for Italian nobles to socialize and gamble.

Modern casinos are often huge, glitzy buildings with many games and a lot of people. They are primarily located in the United States and Macau, China, with some also operating in other parts of the world such as Singapore. Casinos are heavily regulated by governments to ensure that the games are fair and that the patrons are treated well.

Casinos use a variety of security measures to prevent cheating, theft and other criminal activities. In addition to a uniformed staff and security guards, casinos employ high-tech electronic surveillance systems to monitor game results and player behavior. These include “chip tracking,” in which betting chips are wired to computerized systems that monitor their movement minute-by-minute; and automated roulette wheels with integrated microcircuitry to detect any statistical deviations from expected results.