A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. These casinos may also have dining, entertainment and retail facilities. In some cases, casinos are combined with hotels, resorts and even theme parks.

The precise origin of gambling is unknown, but it has been a part of human culture for millennia. Evidence of gaming in some form dates back to 2300 BC in China, and dice were found in Roman games as early as 500 AD. Card games came around in the 1400s, and poker became popular in the 1600s. The modern casino industry has grown to be enormous, and some of the largest are in Las Vegas.

Casinos rely on a mix of psychological and physical security measures to prevent cheating and theft. Many use surveillance systems to monitor activities in and around the casino floor. In addition, the specialized security departments patrol the property and respond to calls for assistance and reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity.

In addition to surveillance, some casinos have catwalks in the ceiling that allow the security personnel to look directly down on the table and slot machines through one way glass. Some casinos also offer players rewards programs and comp points. This is a major factor in getting players to gamble more money in the casino. It has been shown that reward-linked stimuli, such as bright lights and sounds of winning on slot machines, encourage people to take risks and act before thinking about the consequences of their decisions.