• List of casinos
• Casino game
• Casino token
• Locals casino
• Online casino
• American Gaming Association
• Global Gaming Expo
• Gaming Control Boards
• Gaming law
• Native American gaming
• European Gaming & Amusement Federation

 Notes

PIVOTAL DATES IN GAMBLING HISTORY

1931		Nevada legalizes casino gaming
1947		The Flamingo, operated by mobster Bugsy Siegel, opens in Las Vegas
1950		The Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, chaired by Sen. Estes Kefauver, begins to hold hearings on criminal influence in the casino industry
1955		Nevada passes legislation creating the Gaming Control Division under the Nevada Tax Commission. This legislation establishes unequivocally that licensing of a casino owner is a privilege revocable by the state
1958		The Stardust Hotel opens, breaking the mold of the traditional “star headliner” entertainment act by debuting a stage spectacular as its main entertainment feature. This form of entertainment would become widespread on the Las Vegas Strip
1959		Nevada passes legislation creating a State Gaming Commission, independent of the Tax Commission, whose function would be establishing and administering gaming regulations. The Commission and its enforcement arm, the State Gaming Control Board, develop rigorous application and investigation processes to screen persons for their suitability for casino ownership and operation. This legislation continues to define the framework for the regulation of gaming in Nevada
1966-1970		Howard Hughes purchases numerous casino properties in Nevada. His involvement is a strong signal that the Nevada casino industry presents investment opportunities for legitimate business people, and that the industry is not teeming with mob influence as once was thought
1967 & 1969		Nevada passes two Corporate Gaming Acts, which remove barriers against the direct involvement of corporations in the casino industry. These laws expand existing casino operators’ access to financial capital through legitimate debt and equity markets, allow existing public corporations to acquire casinos, and increase the amount of public information on the profitability and ownership of casino operations
1973		Harrah’s Entertainment becomes the first “pure casino” company to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange
1976		New Jersey becomes the second state to legalize casino gaming
1978		The first casino opens in Atlantic City, N.J.
1989		The Mirage Hotel & Casino Resort opens in Las Vegas, ushering in the era of the destination casino resort. Upon its opening, the Mirage is the most expensive hotel casino in history, with construction costs of $630 million. With more than 3,000 rooms and headliner attractions such as the Siegfried and Roy show, the Mirage sets the new standard for Las Vegas casinos
1989		South Dakota and Iowa legalize gaming, kicking off a five-year period of the largest expansion of gaming into new jurisdictions in U.S. history
1992		The first racetrack casino (racino) opens in Rhode Island. Two years later, four additional states — Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, and West Virginia — legalize racinos
1992		Chef Wolfgang Puck opens Spago Las Vegas at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Puck is the first “celebrity chef” to open a contemporary fine dining restaurant in the city. The opening of Spago Las Vegas ushers in a new style of dining in the city, initiating Las Vegas as a worldwide culinary attraction and beginning the food and beverage (F&B) revolution in the commercial casino industry
1995		The commercial casino industry creates the American Gaming Association (AGA)
1996		The National Center for Responsible Gaming is created
1997-1999		The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, a congressional study examining the economic and social impacts of commercial casinos, is conducted. Findings reveal commercial casinos provide positive economic and social benefits for casino communities
2003		The AGA board of directors enacts the AGA Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming, an industry pledge to employees, patrons and the public to integrate responsible gaming practices into every aspect of daily operations
2005		Mega-mergers of casino companies become the norm as MGM MIRAGE acquires Mandalay Resort Group in April and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. acquires Caesars Entertainment in June
2005		Gross gaming revenues in the United States top $30 billion for the first time
2006		The first racetrack casinos open in Florida and Pennsylvania, bringing the total number of states with racinos to 11

• 1 History of the term casino
• 2 History of Casinos
• 3 Gambling in casinos
• 4 Security
• 5 See also
• 6 Notes
• 7 External links

History of the term casino:

The term “Casino” originally meant a small villa, summerhouse or pavilion built for pleasure, usually on the grounds of a larger Italian villa or palazzo. There are examples of such casinos at Villa Giulia and Villa Farnese. In modern day Italian, this term designates a bordello (also called “casa chiusa”, literally “closed house”), while the gambling house is spelled casinò with an accent.^[2]

One of the first known casinos was established in Venice around 1638.^[3] During the 19th century, the term “casino” came to include other public buildings where pleasurable activities, including gambling, and sports took place. An example of this type of building is the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island.

Not all casinos were used for gaming. The Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, known for the use made of its hall for mass public meetings during the 1848 Revolution which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. Until 1937 it was a well-known Danish theatre.^[4] The Hanko Casino located in Hanko, Finland – one of that town’s most conspicuous landmarks – was never used for gambling. Rather, it was a banquet hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 1800s, and is presently used as a restaurant.

History of Casinos:

The precise origin of gambling is unknown. The Chinese recorded the first official account of the practice in 2300 B.C., but it is generally believed that activity of gambling, in some way or another, has been seen in almost every society in history. From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Napoleon’s France and Elizabethan England, much of history is filled with stories of entertainment based on the games of chance.^[5]

In American history, early casinos were originally known as saloons. The creation and importance of saloons was greatly influenced by four major cities; New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco. It was in the saloons that travelers could find people to talk to, drink with, and often gamble with. During the early 20th century in America, gambling became outlawed and banned by state legislation and social reformers of the time. However, in 1931, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada, and Las Vegas, presently known as “Sin City”, spawned America’s first official casinos. Soon after, in the state of New Jersey, Atlantic City joined the Casino industry in 1978 to become America’s second largest gambling city.

Almost anyone today can experience the feelings and excitement of a casino in the online world of gambling. These days, American casinos are just as likely to be hosted in the real world with a web server, and existing in a virtual format on the Internet. Online casino gambling is one of the 21st century’s biggest phenomenons.^{[6][neutrality disputed]}

Gambling in casinos:

In most jurisdictions worldwide, gambling is limited to persons over the age of license (18 or 21 years of age in most of the United States and 16 to 21 in most other countries where casinos are permitted).^[7]

Customers gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance (e.g., craps, roulette, baccarat) and some skill (e.g., blackjack, poker) (for more see casino games). Games usually have mathematically-determined odds that ensure the house retains a long term advantage over the players. This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake. Casinos often give out free items, known as comps to people who are gambling. Often, in most casinos, the more money a player uses the more benefits or comps the player get.

Payout is the percentage won by players.

Playing with house money refers to the situation where a winning player is placing bets with money that has been won from the casino.

Security:

Casinos focus greatly on security, considering that this is a 30 billion dollar industry. Large amounts of currency move through a casino, tempting people to cheat the system. Security today consists of cameras located throughout the property operated by highly trained individuals who attempt to locate cheating and stealing by both players and employees.

Modern casino security is usually divided between a physical security force, which patrols the casino floor and responds to calls for assistance and reports of criminal and/or suspicious activities, and a specialized surveillance department, that operates the casino’s closed circuit television (known in the industry as eye in the sky) system in an effort to detect any misconduct by both guests and employees alike. Both of these specialized casino security departments work very closely with each other to ensure the safety of both guests and the casino’s assets.

When it opened in 1989, The Mirage was the first casino to use cameras full time on all table games.