The word “Casino” derives from the Italian word for house, “casa”. “Casino” denoted a small summerhouse, pavilion, or country villa originally but eventually the meaning altered and it came to denote a building that is used for pleasure. Such a building would usually be located on the grounds of an Italian palazzo or villa. Gambling was just one activity casinos hosted, dancing, music listening and other such diversions also took place in them. One can find such casinos at Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia. The 19th century saw the expansion of the word’s definition, and ‘casino’ came to encompass other public buildings in which one could take part in pleasurable activities such as sports and gambling. In fact, many casinos were not used for gambling whatsoever! For example, the Copenhagen Casino was a theatre, not a gambling hall, and it was used as a location for mass public meetings during the 1848 uprising which led to the erection of a constitutional monarchy in Denmark. Similarly, the Hanko Casino in Finland was never used for gambling but instead functioned as a banquet hall for Russian nobility.