A Casino is a gambling establishment. It features slot machines, table games (like poker and blackjack), and entertainment shows. It is common for casinos to be combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and even cruise ships. In order to gamble at a casino, patrons must be of legal age and follow all rules and regulations.
The casino concept probably grew out of the popularity of games like dice and card games in Europe during the sixteenth century. A large number of private gambling houses sprung up around this time, known as ridotti. These were essentially small clubhouses where Italian aristocrats would meet for social occasions and to gamble, often in secret. The casinos were often located in areas where gambling was illegal, but they never seemed to get in trouble with the authorities.
Gambling almost certainly predates recorded history, with primitive protodice (cut knuckle bones) and carved six-sided dice found in the majority of ancient archaeological sites. Modern casinos usually feature a wide variety of table and slot games, but they are also heavily dependent on security measures. Security begins on the casino floor, where employees watch over patrons and game play to spot blatant cheating. Table managers and pit bosses look over each table with a broader view of the patrons, watching for betting patterns that might indicate cheating. The casino’s lighting is adjusted to make sure that the casino can read patrons’ faces in a crowd and to attract attention with bright lights.