A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are built with or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, and/or cruise ships. A casino may also be called a gaming house, gambling den, or kasino.
Modern casinos focus on customer service and offer perks to encourage people to gamble, such as free drinks, snacks, and even hotel rooms. These perks are often known as comps. Some casinos employ mathematicians and computer programmers specializing in game theory to create games that maximize the house’s expected profit, and minimize the player’s risk. These experts are referred to as gaming mathematicians or gaming analysts.
Gambling has been a part of human culture for millennia. The earliest known game was probably dice, followed by cards, then board games such as backgammon and cribbage. Eventually the more complex table games rose to prominence, including baccarat, which was developed in 1655 by Mathematician and all-around Genius Blaise Pascal, while trying to create a perpetual motion machine.
Today’s casinos have become a major tourist attraction and provide a lot of employment. Some of the world’s most famous casinos include Caesars Palace, Paris, and Monte Carlo. These casinos feature upscale amenities such as a New York-style restaurant, Hermes and Chanel boutiques, and spa services. Some even offer off-track horse betting. The Bellagio in Las Vegas has a branch of New York’s Le Cirque restaurant and is known for its spectacular floor shows. In Europe, casino perks are less extravagant but still include reduced-fare transportation and luxury living quarters for top bettors.