A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. It is often combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. The term may also refer to an establishment used for certain kinds of entertainment, such as live theater and music. In the United States, a casino is usually called a gaming or gambling house.

In addition to the traditional table games such as blackjack and roulette, most casinos offer a variety of poker games, video slots, and other machines. In the case of table games, the casino earns its profits by taking a percentage of each pot or charging an hourly fee. Some casinos also host poker tournaments and charge an entry fee to attend.

Gambling has been a part of human civilization for millennia, with evidence of dice-playing dating back to 2300 BC in China and, later, in Rome and India. The first modern casinos opened in the early 1900s. Since then, the industry has grown tremendously. In the United States alone, there are over 1,000 casino properties.

Despite the fact that casino games involve chance, some are more skill-based than others. For example, the house edge in blackjack is mathematically determined; however, it can be reduced by learning basic strategy and implementing a card-counting system. Due to the large amount of currency handled within a casino, both patrons and employees may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, most casinos have security measures in place.