A casino is a building where people can gamble and play games of chance. It’s also where you can have dinner, drinks and entertainment.

The word “casino” came from Italy and is now used to describe many different kinds of gambling establishments. A typical modern casino features roulette, poker, blackjack, slot machines and other games of chance.

Historically, casinos have been operated by mob families. However, with the emergence of real estate investors and hotel chains with deep pockets, mobsters have been replaced by legitimate casinos.

In the United States, casino gambling was legalized in Atlantic City in 1978 and has since spread to many American Indian reservations. Some American Indian tribes have even opened their own casinos, which don’t have to be licensed by state laws.

Some of the most popular casino games include roulette, baccarat, blackjack, and craps. The games are designed to offer an advantage to the casino, which can be as low as 1.4 percent for roulette and as high as 1 percent for baccarat.

Most casinos use chips instead of actual money. These chips make it easier to track how much a patron is betting and how much they’re winning.

Casinos are staffed with security guards and employees who keep an eye on the tables, dealers and patrons. They watch for cheating or stealing, and they make sure that all players are playing the game according to the rules. Besides traditional forms of security, casinos now use video cameras and computers to monitor their games.