A casino is a gambling establishment and, in the United States, they are very common. If you live in any city, or even some rural areas of the country, chances are that a casino is a short drive away. There are several things that you should know about the casinos in America before you go there, though.
Gambling has almost certainly been around for thousands of years, with primitive protodice and carved six-sided dice being found in the earliest archaeological sites. But the casino as we know it developed in the 16th century, when a gambling craze swept Europe and Italian nobles opened their own private gambling houses called ridotti [Source: Schwartz].
In America, the legality of casinos depends on state laws. Some states have no restrictions, while others allow them only in certain places. The state of Nevada, for instance, has a very extensive network of casinos, while gambling is banned in Utah.
Although many gamblers enjoy playing at the casinos for their fun and excitement, there is one thing you should know before you go to a casino: The house always wins. That is because every game offered by a casino has a built-in mathematical advantage for the casino, known as the house edge. It may be small (less than two percent), but it adds up over the millions of bets placed by casino patrons. That advantage, combined with the expenses of treating problem gamblers and lost productivity by employees who spend long periods of time in casinos, offsets any economic benefits that a casino might bring to its community.