What is a Casino?

A casino, also called a gambling house, is an establishment where people can gamble on various games of chance or skill. Some casinos are stand-alone buildings, while others are combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops or cruise ships. Those that are located in cities or other places with high populations often have a number of floors and feature multiple games. Some casinos even offer a range of live entertainment, including shows or performances by actors and musicians.

The word casino is thought to have originated from the Latin casin, meaning “little country house.” A few European countries were home to casino-like establishments prior to the prohibition of gambling in the United States, and some American states amended their laws to allow for such facilities. In the 1980s, some of these casino-like venues began to appear on American Indian reservations, where they were not subject to state antigambling laws.

From the elegant swank of the Casino Baden-Baden to the mega-hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, the most famous casinos around the world are as much about glitz and glamour as they are about gambling. These days it is just as common to see visitors enjoying floor shows, all-you-can-eat buffets and plush accommodations as it is to find them hunched over black jack tables or flipping chips at a roulette wheel.