A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. It is also known as a gaming house or a gambling den, and it may be located in a building that contains other attractions such as hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues. It may be operated by a public, private, or charitable organization. In some jurisdictions, casinos are licensed and regulated by government agencies.

Gambling has been a part of human culture throughout history. Some of the earliest records of games of chance date back to ancient Mesopotamia, and gambling is present in many cultures today. The modern casino industry began in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1978 and spread to other states where gambling is legal. Casinos are also commonly found on American Indian reservations, where they can be legally operated and are not subject to state antigambling laws.

In addition to the usual gambling activities, many casinos have restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Some have spectacular water shows and other forms of entertainment. The Monte Carlo Casino, for instance, has been featured in numerous movies and is also a major tourist attraction.

Because of the large amount of money that is handled within a casino, both patrons and staff can be tempted to cheat and steal, either in collusion or independently. To counter this, casinos use a variety of security measures. For example, the use of cameras is widespread; betting chips have built-in microcircuitry that interacts with electronic systems to allow casinos to oversee bet amounts minute by minute and warn them of any anomaly; and roulette wheels are electronically monitored to discover any statistical deviation from their expected results.