• Home
  • What is a Casino?

What is a Casino?

A casino is a place where people gamble by playing games of chance or, in some cases, with an element of skill. These games include roulette, craps, baccarat, blackjack and video poker. Most games have mathematically determined odds that give the house an advantage over players, and this is known as the house edge. Casinos make money by offering these games for free or at a fee and charging for other services such as food, drink and entertainment. They also earn money by taking a commission from some games, known as the rake.

Gambling has been part of human culture for millennia. The earliest evidence comes from 2300 BC China, where wooden blocks were used to play dice. In the 1400s, a variant of the game of cards emerged, and it was followed by the first modern-day casino, in Macau, which opened in 1850. Today, casinos are spread around the globe and offer a variety of gambling options, from classic table games to slots.

Martin Scorsese drew on his experience making Goodfellas for Casino, a mobster drama that features the reunion of De Niro and Joe Pesci. The film is a masterful work that never lags or loses steam despite its sprawling length. It is a thrilling story of the rise and fall of the mob in Vegas that shows how the city reinvented itself after the mafia lost power.