A casino, or kasino in Greek, is a place where people can gamble. The precise origin of gambling is unknown, but it is widespread throughout history and in almost all societies. Modern casinos offer a variety of games of chance, and some include elements of skill. Most casino games provide a predictable long-term advantage to the house, which is often expressed mathematically as an expected value that is uniformly negative for players. These advantages, which are sometimes called vigorish or house edge, vary between different casino games. Those who possess sufficient skills to eliminate the inherent long-term disadvantage are referred to as advantage players.
A typical casino features one or more gaming areas containing slot machines, table games, and random number games. The games are operated by casino employees, known as croupiers. Table games include blackjack, craps, and roulette. The table games are typically played against the casino rather than against other patrons. In addition, some casinos feature regular poker tables where patrons play against each other.
Most casino patrons are aware that the house holds a built-in advantage, but many misunderstand the extent to which this advantage exists. The advantage varies between games, and the longer players bet on a given game, the more the edge grows. This is because of the nature of gambling as a recreational activity, which satisfies a basic human need for risk and reward. Many people also get a burst of adrenaline when they enter a casino, and this can cause them to make bets they otherwise would not have made.