A casino is a place where gambling takes place. It often adds a host of luxuries, such as restaurants, free drinks and stage shows, to help attract gamblers. It is also common for casinos to comp players, who receive free hotel rooms, meals and tickets to shows or even limo service and airline tickets depending on their level of play and how much money they spend at the casino.
Gambling has been a part of human civilization for millennia. Archeological records of dice games date back to 2300 BC, while card games started in Italy around 500 AD. In the 1860s, a casino opened in Nevada and became popular with tourists. As more states legalized gambling, other businesses saw the potential of a profit from these destinations and began building their own casinos.
The biggest casino in the world is the Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It has a Grand Canal where visitors can glide in gondolas and more than 1,000 varied slot machines. It is also home to sophisticated poker and baccarat rooms and the table game of choice for many Europeans – trente et quarante.
The casino in the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden first drew royalty and aristocracy 150 years ago, but now it attracts people from all over the world. Its elegant rooms are decorated with richly hand-painted frescoes and it has a wide variety of table games including baccarat, blackjack and roulette.