A casino (plural ca*si*nos) is a gambling establishment, offering a variety of games of chance and other forms of entertainment. The precise origin of gambling is unknown, but it has been a part of human culture throughout recorded history, with evidence of a wide range of gambling activities from ancient Mesopotamia and Rome, through Napoleon’s France and Elizabethan England, to modern Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Most casinos offer slot machines and a variety of table games such as baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and poker. In some casinos, players can also place bets on sports events. Some of these bets require skill, while others depend entirely on chance. Many casinos hire skilled mathematicians to develop their gaming software and to analyze the probabilities of winning or losing specific types of bets. These employees are called gaming mathematicians and gaming analysts.
The most famous casino in the world is perhaps the Monte-Carlo, a grand gambling den in Monaco that has long been the main source of income for the principality. Other notable casinos include the Strip in Las Vegas and the Macau casino complex in east Asia. While some cities are best known for their casinos, a large number of smaller towns and rural areas have casino gambling as a major industry. The largest concentration of casinos in the United States is in Las Vegas, followed by Atlantic City and Chicago. There are now 40 states that allow some form of legalized casino gambling.