A casino is a building or room where gambling games are played. The term is also used for the games themselves, such as roulette and blackjack, which are staffed by croupiers and operated by players who place bets on the outcome of random events.
The precise origin of casino is uncertain, but it is believed that gambling in one form or another has been a feature of most societies throughout history. The elegant spa town of Baden-Baden first became a casino destination 150 years ago, attracting European royalty and aristocracy. Today, it boasts a casino that is widely considered the most beautiful in the world, drawing visitors with its red-and-gold poker rooms and plethora of blackjack and roulette tables.
A casino’s mathematical advantage is called its house edge. This is the percentage of gross profits that a casino can reliably expect to make on each game, regardless of how well or badly its patrons play. It is because of this virtual assurance of profit that casinos can afford to offer big bettors extravagant inducements, such as free spectacular entertainment and transportation, hotel rooms, reduced-fare or complimentary drinks and cigarettes while gambling, and other perks. The house edge of a particular game varies from casino to casino; for example, roulette has a higher house edge in Europe than it does in the Americas, while craps has a lower house edge on average. Casinos have also dramatically increased their use of technology to monitor and supervise the games themselves; for instance, in “chip tracking,” betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that allows casinos to see exactly how much is wagered minute by minute, and to discover quickly any anomaly.