A casino is a gambling establishment that offers a wide variety of games to its customers. This includes the latest in slot machines, hot new themes and old favorites like poker. It is also a place to enjoy fine dining and drinks.
Gambling has been around for a long time. Primitive protodice and carved six-sided dice have been found in ancient archaeological sites, but the modern casino concept did not develop until the 16th century, when gambling crazes swept Europe. The word casino is derived from the Italian term for villa or summer house, but it quickly came to mean a public building that offered a variety of ways to gamble under one roof.
In the United States casinos can be found on American Indian reservations and other locations outside state antigambling laws, as well as in Atlantic City, Nevada. In 2005, the typical casino gambler was a forty-six-year-old female from a household with above-average income and a lot of free time.
In the 1950s, mobster money made Reno and Las Vegas the casino capital of America, but as federal crackdowns on organized crime increased, legitimate businessmen began to invest in the industry. Today, the biggest casino owners are hotel chains and real estate investors with deep pockets who can afford to keep the mafia out of their gaming operations. This makes it possible for people to play roulette, teen patti and other games of chance without fear of being hassled by the mob.