A casino, or gambling establishment, is a place where patrons can gamble on various games of chance. A few casinos offer additional amenities such as restaurants, bars and stage shows. The casino’s primary source of revenue is from the gambling activities. Casinos are generally not legal in every jurisdiction, but most have gaming commissions that regulate them. The commissions are responsible for licensing and regulating the casinos’ operations and overseeing their financial stability.

While gambling has existed in some form since ancient times, the casino as a concept developed later, probably in the sixteenth century. At that time, the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden was a popular playground for European royalty and aristocracy, whose visitors were drawn by its beauty and variety of casino offerings.

Gambling in a casino involves risking money, and as such, patrons may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion with other patrons or on their own. Because of this, most casinos have extensive security measures in place. These include cameras that can watch the entire casino at once, or a room full of monitors that can be directed to focus on certain suspicious patrons.

Modern casinos also use sophisticated technology to keep track of all the game’s variables and their expected results. For example, chips have built-in microcircuitry that allows them to be monitored minute by minute for accuracy, and roulette wheels are electronically monitored for deviations from their expected values. As a result, it’s very difficult for a player to win more than the casino expects to lose.