A casino is a place where people can gamble and play games of chance. Modern casinos often combine a gambling floor with restaurants, hotels, retail shopping and entertainment venues. They are most commonly found in Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey, but also exist in many other cities and countries.

While musical shows, lighted fountains and lavish hotels help to draw patrons into casinos, they would not exist without the billions of dollars in profits from gambling. Slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and keno provide the vast majority of the money that casinos make each year.

Gambling in one form or another has been around for millennia, with primitive protodice and carved knuckle bones found in ancient archaeological sites. The modern casino first appeared in the 16th century, during a gambling craze that swept Europe. At that time, wealthy Italian nobles would hold private parties at venues called ridotti where they could enjoy a variety of gambling activities without being bothered by the Inquisition.

Casinos earn a percentage of the money that is wagered on their games through a process known as the house edge. This advantage can be very small, but it adds up over the millions of bets placed by patrons each year. To reduce this advantage, some casino games involve skill on the part of the player. For example, blackjack players can learn to minimize the house edge by practicing basic strategy. Casinos can further reduce the house edge by paying a commission, known as the rake, to those who deal the cards and run the game tables.