A casino is a place where you can gamble. You can play slot machines, blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and more. Casinos are big business and have become a major tourist attraction in many parts of the world. Casinos also offer other types of entertainment, including musical shows and shopping centers.

Aside from the flashing lights, pulsing music and wall-to-wall noise, casinos wouldn’t exist without the games of chance. Gambling of all kinds has been a part of human culture for millennia. It started with dice around 2300 BC, card games appeared in the 1400s and then the game of poker became popular in the 1920s.

Casinos are heavily regulated and every action is monitored by cameras. There are also microphones in the dealers’ headsets to hear their conversations and if they detect cheating. They are often given special training to spot blatant actions like palming and marking cards or switching dice. They are also told to pay close attention to the monetary exchanges. These amounts are counted in a room known as the “count room” and then bundled together to await transportation by armored car for deposit in a bank.

Casinos often give their loyal customers what are called comps. These are free goods or services that the casino gives out to its best patrons to entice them to spend more time and money gambling. These can include hotel rooms, meals and even free casino chips. It is also common for casinos to comp those who bet large sums of money. These high rollers are often given free or reduced-fare travel, luxury suites and tickets to shows.