A casino is an establishment for certain types of gambling. Some casinos are standalone facilities, while others are combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops or other tourist attractions. The exact origin of gambling is unknown, but it is believed that it has been around for millennia in various forms. Some of the earliest known gambling houses were in Asia and the Middle East. The modern casino industry has grown to be a large global business, with more than 1,000 casinos worldwide and total annual revenues in excess of US$30 billion.
While the majority of casinos offer only games of chance, some do have a small number of tables for other games such as poker or blackjack, which involve skill. In these games the house has a mathematical advantage, which is known as the house edge. Some casinos also take a percentage of the money bet, called a rake.
Due to the large amounts of money handled within a casino, both patrons and staff may be tempted to cheat or steal, either in collusion or independently. For this reason, casinos have security measures in place to deter such behavior. These include a physical security force and a specialized surveillance department. Modern casinos often feature catwalks over the gaming floor, allowing surveillance personnel to look down on activities from above.
Some casinos are famous in their own right, such as the Monte Carlo Casino on the Mediterranean island of Monaco, which was depicted in the 2006 film Casino Royal and in several other films and novels. The Dragonara Palace casino at the Palace of Dragonara on the island of Malta is another well-known casino.
