A casino is a gambling establishment offering a variety of gaming options, such as table games and slot machines. The game offerings in a casino are usually regulated by law and overseen by a governing body. Most casinos have security forces that patrol the premises and are staffed by trained personnel to respond to calls for assistance or reports of suspicious or definite criminal activity. Casinos also have specialized surveillance departments to operate the closed circuit television system.

Gambling has long been a part of human culture, with evidence dating back to 2300 BC in China. It became widespread in Europe with the introduction of dice in the 1400s and cards in the 1600s. Today’s casinos, often built as a destination resort in their own right, feature restaurants, bars, designer shops, five-star hotel accommodations, and top-billed entertainment shows.

Designed to manipulate their visitors, casinos are carefully arranged to encourage gamblers to spend more money than they have to. Many include a large area devoted to slot machines, which are programmed to use near-misses as a means of keeping players engaged. They also have a number of scented oils wafted throughout their ventilation systems to create a sense of manufactured bliss.

There are three general types of casino games: gaming machines, table games, and random number games. Gaming machines, such as slot machines, are played by one or more players at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees. Table games, such as blackjack and craps, involve a dealer and are operated by casino employees known as croupiers. Random number games are based on the selection of numbers generated by a computerized random number generator.