A casino is a building that is used for social amusements, particularly gambling. It is sometimes called a gambling house or a gaming club. It can be located in a resort or hotel, as part of a cruise ship or on land. It may also be used for a variety of other entertainment purposes. In American usage, it is commonly associated with Las Vegas.
The word casino derives from the Latin cazino, meaning “little house.” When most people think of a casino, they imagine one of the megaresorts in Las Vegas or Atlantic City that have rooms for entertainment, dining, shopping, and gambling. However, the casino industry has expanded to include more than just these glamorous locations.
Most casinos are structured to attract gamblers and keep them gambling as long as possible. To this end, they offer a wide range of perks, called comps, to encourage patrons to spend more than they initially intended to. These perks are often free or discounted services, such as food, drinks, shows, and hotel rooms. During the 1970s, the casino industry used these comps to maximize gambling revenues and to fill the hotels and gambling floors.
While most patrons visit casinos for the fun and excitement of gambling, the industry is based on a bedrock of mathematics engineered to slowly drain them of their money. This has led to attempts by mathematically inclined individuals to beat the system through knowledge of probability and game theory.